


The Relic Hunter

by NerdHQ_084



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: But I like them so they get to jump universes, Multi, Relevant in and after chapter 4, Yes I know Sky and Thunder arent in Prime, just in case, language warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-07-29 09:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16261547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdHQ_084/pseuds/NerdHQ_084
Summary: This is a story that follows the TFP chronology and my OC, Indigo Artifice's role in it. I have invented some new 'canon' with the relic hunters and will mesh it with the show over the course of her story and the fight for Cybertron. There is a serious timeline in the works, so I hope you're ready for a long ride. Here's an attempt at a summary :)*Indigo Artifice was created for a single purpose. Hunting relics. What she chose to do with them beyond that was up to her. Inherently neutral, she changed sides frequently during the Great War, making friends and enemies among bots and cons alike. Now on Earth, a whole new battle is in the works, and she may be pushed beyond her limits. Relic Hunters would change the world, or so they said. Maybe it was finally time for that to become truth.*





	1. Preface: Origins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Nerdlings!  
> Yes, chapter one is simply a re-post of Indigo's backstory, posted on its own under the title We Built the Future, but this time I included links to pictures of her! I should have chapter two (the first actual story chapter) up over the weekend and the third chapter hopefully soon after. I am re-watching the series as I write this for accuracy so there may be bursts of posts each time I watch a section and large gaps between. Please enjoy!  
> Also, for continuity and clarity: My cybertronian time cycles consist of the following-  
> Nanokilks(Seconds)  
> Kliks(Minutes)  
> Joors(Hours)  
> Cycles(Weeks)  
> Solar Cycles(Days)  
> Deca-cycles(Months)  
> Stellar Cycles(Years)  
> -Ghost

* _Secret scientific laboratories in Kaon City, Cybertron. 100 stellar cycles after the start of the war.*_

            “Sparkblade, it’s nearly time. Come.” A silver mech summoned his blue companion. The two scientists made their way to a modified medical berth where the body of a femme seeker lay.

She was primarily indigo colored, with black, silver, dark blue, and light blue highlights.

            “She is truly spectacular, Starbolt. Our lord should be pleased.” The silver mech nodded.

            “She will change the course of this war. But may I remind you she was designed for neutrality. What side she chooses is completely out of our control.”

            “Remind me again how she will find them?”

            “All relics have a common signature, but each in addition has its own aura, a voice even. I’ve engineered her sensors to be living adaptors that latch on to the common field then hone in on the specific feel of the relic. To put it simply, they will call to her. Her database has also been loaded with all the information we have on every relic known and rumored to exist, as well as the ability to read and operate in the ancient tongues of Kaon and Iacon.”

            “And the deadly ones? Such as Tox-N caches?”

            “Her bio-structure has been modified to be unaffected by substances that would offline a typical mech or femme.”  
            “…So she’s barely even Cybertronian.”

            “That is where you are wrong. She will become the best Cybertronian. Get the shards.” Sparkblade pulled a small purple energon shard and a larger blue one from a secure container while Starbolt carefully retrieved the jewel of Cybertron: the Allspark.

            “…Primus help us. The blood of Unicron is no laughing matter.” Starbolt stared at him resolutely.

            “Primus is helping us. On my count. 3…2…..now!” The shards were simultaneously plunged into the femme’s spark chamber while the Allspark was slowly allowed to mix with the energon. Once full absorption was reached, Starbolt closed off the relic, watching as all its power flooded through his creation. Within a few kilks, her frame stopped convulsing. But was her spark ignited?

            For several kliks, nothing happened. Not even a twitch or a hint of venting. While Cybertronians did not require air to survive, intake and venting accelerated the flow of energon and heightened their functionality. Just when Starbolt was about to give up, the femme inhaled sharply and her optics shot open as she jumped off the berth, taking a defensive stance.

            Everyone froze for a moment, until Star began to laugh and clap. The femme snarled at him.

            “What are you laughing at, mech? I could blow your processor right off your frame before you realized I moved.”

            “My apologies, Indigo Artifice. I am merely thrilled that your spark has been ignited. Your creation is a success.”

            “My…creation?” She took a moment to scan the room, establishing where she was and noting the data on various screens. Data on her construction, her database, her vital signs. “I see. You two…you… _made_ me.”

            “Yes. And you will play a very important role in this war. You are the first of the age of Relic Hunters.  I have already loaded your database with all the information you will need to operate, but there is still much for you to learn. Come, and we will tell you the history and state of things, of Cybertron.”

 

[Link to Images of Indigo](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0YfZvhMZRrb1hnWC05VkFjTmQ3aFp1MGxUczN5UzdaS3o0/view?usp=sharing)


	2. Chapter 1: War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wew, I'm killing it today! Here is the official first chapter of the story. I will warn you I expect the first few to be a bit clunky because introductions and background and such, but it will get better, I promise :) Also, please forgive my cybertronian vocabulary. I am still learning. I did post my definitions of cybertronian time that I will be using in the notes before We Built the Future. Reference that if you wish. Thank you all for reading!  
> -Ghost

            I never thought I’d be the one to say how sickening it is to stand on ground stained blue from the excess of spilt energon. But so many stellar cycles have passed since my creation. I think I lost count after two million.

The siege on Iacon was nearing a close as Megatron’s supply of Dark Energon dwindled. The core was already lost, but the Autobots continued to fight for their home. I have provided both sides with powerful relics over the course of the war, but now there is nothing even I can do to break the dark hold on the planet. They told me I would be the first of a new era that would change the course of the war. It’s a shame that era never began.

“Artifice!!” The raging silver con summoned me to his command post at Nova Cronum.

“What now, Megatron?” He snarled at me, to which I responded with a roll of my optics.

“I need a solution…an end! Find me something useful.”

“You’ve destroyed the planet!” I gestured out the windows to the ravaged remains of our home. “What greater end could you want? You handed this war to Unicron himself, wrapped in the blood of millions. There isn’t a single relic left that could change or bolster that. It _is_ over.”

“As long as there is a single Autobot left online, this will _never_ be over.”

“Then I am of no further use to you. You’ve resigned yourself to an eternal stalemate that not even I can sway the balance of. Perhaps the Autobots have a less futile plan.”

“You would desert our cause so easily.”

“We all know I’ve never been here for the cause. I’m here because you were winning.”

“We have won!”

“Then why is this war not over? Let the future bring what it will. Perhaps you’ll find me again, out there somewhere. But for the present, I am useless here and must move on.” Megatron sighed.

“I suppose you are correct in this instance. But we both know the war will not truly end until one side revives the planet.”

“Then I’m certain our paths will cross again. After all, I have always had a liking for cons.” I smirked at him before transforming into my sleek, jet alt mode and flying off for Iacon. There, I was greeted by the perpetually smug wrecker, Wheeljack.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the most beautiful femme on Cybertron. How’s it goin’, Sunshine?” He grabbed my servo and tugged me close to him.

“Well, flirt, saying I’m the most beautiful on Cybertron isn’t saying much anymore.” I gently ran a claw along his jawline, making him smirk and pull me even closer. I leaned in and whispered in his audio, “Unfortunately, I’m here on business, so any fun will have to wait.” He sighed as I pulled away a bit.

“Ugh. There you go gettin’ me all worked up for nothin’ again. I tried for that new femme Arcee while you were gone but she doesn’t play ball. All work no fun.”

“What a shame. She’s missing out.”

“You still with that jerk Shockwave?”

“Yeah…but things are a bit complicated right now, with him being the SIC and all.”

“You should leave all those losers and stay with us. Stay with me.” He raised his optic ridges seductively.

“Jackie, we both know you’re an even bigger player than me. And it’s part of my _job._ ”

“At least you wouldn’t be bored.” I grinned darkly.

“Oh, no one ever said I was bored with my cons. Why do you think I spend more time with them?”

“ Oh ho ho…is that…”

“Indigo! I’m glad you’re here. We could use your help.” A bulky red and white bot came in.

“Ratchet. What’s the problem?” I casually extracted myself from a disappointed Wheeljack.

“Optimus is headed for the core with a small team. Given what is rumored to be down there, they could use your expertise.”

“You think the Matrix is there.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll head down. If it’s there, I’ll know on the descent. And Optimus needs to keep it.” I flew off to the core access, diving into the depths of Cybertron. The core was the only place on Cybertron I hadn’t been to. As I flew deeper, I started to hear relics. Lots of them. Deep within the infected layers lay hundreds of powerful fragments of an age long past. I would have to come back for them.

The core itself was withering form all the dark energon Megatron had released. As I came upon Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead, I transformed, startling them. Optimus gave me a tired smile.

“Indigo. Are you here to help us, or to thwart us?”

“Here to help. Ratchet told me what’s going on. But there is an unprecedented amount of relics around here. It will take some time to feel out the Matrix.”

“Alright, do what you can. We will continue out search manually.” I nodded, moving towards the dying core.

Accessing all the data I had on the Matrix, I honed in on its key traits. Gradually, the noise of the other relics faded away. Just as I was about to single one out, the Matrix showed itself, becoming very loud and sending a chill through my frame. The raw power emanating from it was more intense than anything I had dealt with before, besides the Allspark itself. I snapped back to reality.

“Optimus.” I looked at him and watched in awe as the core presented him with a key-like object. “Ah, Primus beat me to it. Good.” The new Prime gently accepted the powerful gift. The last remnant of the planet’s spark.

“We must leave Cybertron. If we do not, we all shall perish, as will any hope of saving Cybertron. For now our only chance is to escape with the Matrix and wait. I can only feel that the answer to our plight is no longer on Cybertron.” The team, while shocked, nodded solemnly.

“We will follow your lead, Optimus.” Arcee spoke for all of them. While we headed back, I made use of the phase shifter to investigate and capture some of the loudest relics. The first one didn’t match anything in my databases and as I collected more of them the same was true. All the more reason for me to keep them to myself.

Once we returned to Iacon, everyone gathered in the city center to hear Optimus’ report. All of the bots were saddened by the news of the exodus, even Wheeljack, who had snuck up behind me and trapped me in an embrace. Typical.

“Ultra Magnus, I am leaving you and a team of bots here for the time being. Guard what is left of our home. I hope we can meet again soon.” The blue mech nodded resolutely. “Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, and Tailgate, you will join me aboard the Ark while we search for a new home in the stars.” Optimus turned to me. “Indigo, will you join us?”

“I’m afraid not, Optimus. I have found some more work for me to do here. Though, I’m sure we will meet again before this war truly ends.”

“Ya never have been one to take sides, eh Sunshine?” Jackie smirked at me.

“We wish you luck, then. Until the next time.” With that, the exodus began, most of the survivors taking to the stars. I found out soon after that the Decepticons had ordered an exodus of their own, taking their war with them. Cybertron fell quiet, leaving me to work in peace.

And work I did. Stellar cycle after stellar cycle passes while I unearthed and reforged relics never heard of before. After quite some time, I had evolved into a whole new Relic Hunter, even more stealthy and efficient, and twice as deadly. Some would probably not even recognize me.

It was time to rejoin the war.


	3. Chapter 2: Earth, Present Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Nerdlings!
> 
> Yes, I've come up with a name for you :) Here is the glorious chapter 2 I've been neglecting (honestly i'm quite proud of this one). It goes through the entire Darkness Rising set of episodes. Indigo is a sassy femme and I love her more and more every time I read this chapter. Also, update on chapter 3, I am currently writing it and it will likely go though episode 12, possibly an earlier ep. Not sure where I'll cut it off. But it is in the works. Should be a few weeks before I get it posted. Until then, please enjoy this gem and thank you all for reading!
> 
> -Ghost
> 
> Update: I added some stuff to her time with the bots. Its worth a reread :)

Ratchet stood in their new base, tinkering with old machinery Bulkhead had broken. Earth tech. It just wasn’t as good as his old Cybertronian tools. At least it was quiet, for a change. The team had gone on their respective patrols, despite not seeing any con activity in three stellar cycles. Even radio chatter was minimal.

I observed the old bot fully cloaked, waiting for the right moment to reveal myself. After a bit, he ended up engrossed in a mechanical argument with a probe. I chuckled to myself.

“Ah, Ratchet. You haven’t changed a bit. What did the Earth tech do to deserve such treatment?” He jumped a mile high and spun around to face my directions, swords drawn.

“Who said that?!” I laughed and de-cloaked, walking towards him.

“Just an old friend, Ratch. No need to attack.” His optics widened in disbelief.

“Indigo?!” He retracted his blades. “Where…how did you get here? Specifically, how did you get in the base? The sensors should have tripped…”

“Long story, but your tech is fine. Basically, I’ve done a lot of upgrading, including a cloaking device that hides my frame and my signals. Not even Iacon security can detect me. Also, I have a…unique means of travel now. I can get into any location with ease.”

“How long have you been here? I must alert the team.”

“Here as in Earth or as in the base? Earth, I’ve been here roughly a stellar cycle. As for your base, little over a joor.” The proximity sensors went off.

“Scrap. It’s Fowler. He’s our liaison to the outside world.”

“A fleshie? How interesting. They are an odd batch, aren’t they? Still, I suppose it’s beneficial to work with them.” A man exited the elevator on an upper level.

“Where’s Prime?! I’ve got some bones to pick.”

“They are all out on patrol, Fowler. What’s the issue?”

“The issue is you all are making too much noise. Cars driving away and leaving their boots behind as well as some speeding custom hot rods are starting to make people curious. I suggest you give your team a pep talk before…” He paused, noticing me. “And just who are you? Flyer by the looks of you.” I smirked, casually walking over to him and leaning down to his level.

“I am Indigo Artifice, fleshie. And I find you _very_ amusing.”

“Amusing?! Well if that isn’t the most disrespectful intr…” Ratchet cut him off.

“Fowler, Indigo is one of our oldest companions. And she should not be dealt with lightly. Every ounce of her arrogance is more than well founded. She single-handedly changed the face of the Great War. I have no doubt she could bring humanity to ruin with little effort, although she usually isn’t that malicious.” I smirked.

“Hmm, yes, and lucky for you I’ve developed quite a liking for you humans. Your lives are rather interesting.”

“I thought bots didn’t fly.”  
“Oh, I’m no bot. But neither am I a con. I don’t take sides, but I do tend to help whoever is winning. There is no doubt that my personality is more so that of a con, however. The champion of justice approach really isn’t my strong suit.” Ratchet scoffed.

“That may be a significant understatement. If you could pick a side you would most certainly be a con.” I rolled my optics.

“Thanks, Ratch. First you’re on my side, then you’re against me. Real nice of you.”

“Not much better than you.”

“Fair point.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll just come back and talk to Prime. Clearly you have some…Cybertronian stuff to sort out.” He quickly left us, likely put off by my presence. Ratchet sighed.

“He may not be the friendliest, but he keeps us hidden.”

“I noticed you changed your form.”

“We all did. Robots in disguise. We don’t want the humans knowing about us if at all possible.” He sent a call out to the team. “Everyone return to base. There’s someone here I think you all will be glad to see.”

 _‘At base? Who could that be?’_ A familiar femme’s voice came in. Arcee.

“Just head back. You’ll find out when you get here.” It didn’t take long for the team to return, led by Optimus and driven by curiosity. All the same bots were still together. They all transformed, looking at me in shock.

“Indigo. It is good to see you again.” Optimus broke the silence, smiling gently. “I see you found our way to our humble base. The humans have been kind enough to loan it to us.”

“I’ll say. It’s rather nice, although you couldn’t have picked a more boring town. I would go crazy here long term.”

“But it is the perfect place to wait quietly, watching for the Decepticon’s return.”

“Well, if you are content with doing nothing, then I suppose it’s perfect.”

“What are you implying, Relic Hunter?” Arcee crossed her arms, glaring.

“Implying? Nothing. I’m simply saying that Earth is a treasure trove. One that may even contain a key to reviving Cybertron. But you chose to sit here quietly instead.”

“Hey, we’ve all been patrollin’ across the planet. It ain’t much better out there.” Cliffjumper had a point.

“True, but that’s patrolling, not looking for answers. It would be easy on this planet. Any cyber matter signature could be a lead.”

“Or it could be a corpse. Battles took place on this planet too, and Earth tech wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Why haven’t you dug up anything?” Ratchet stared at me with vague accusation. I smirked darkly.

“Oh, I have. And I’m keeping them, unless I deem someone worthy. Also, as it stands, I’m staying out of things. With only one side in play, and nothing interesting going on, there’s little need for me to participate.” This time it was Bee who beeped at me accusingly. “What, it’s not _my_ fault they created me with a forcibly neutral spark. Anyway, I suppose I’ll stay here for the time being, if that’s alright with you, Optimus.” The Prime nodded.

“It would be good to have a set of wings around. Although your alt mode is a bit unusual.”

“Don’t worry about that.” I cloaked myself and moved behind Ratchet, reappearing. It spooked him again.

“Primus, would you stop that?! It’s unnerving!”

“A cloaking device. You upgraded your systems.” Optimus was rather impressed.

“To put it mildly, yes. I’m not the same femme under this plating.” We all chatted for a while longer, catching up on life until everyone returned to their normal activities.

Several cycles passed uneventfully. I busied myself with retrieving better tech for Ratchet and keeping some aerial surveillance of the area. At one point, I went on an energon run with Bee and Bulkhead. I tracked down a relatively clear mine and we headed inside.

“Is this all you mechs have been up to all these years?” I was leading the group.

“Well, yeah. Why?”

“Dunno. Just trying to make conversation. We all were decent friends at one point but now I feel like there’s a coldness between us.”

 _You are a whole different femme. Of course there’s a coldness. It’s like we don’t know you anymore._ Bee beeped quietly and Bulkhead nodded in agreement.

“Yeah Indi, you used to rough house and game with us all the time. You usually won too. Something tells me if we fought now, someone would end up offlined.”

“Only if I wanted you offline…”

“See, that’s the issue. Your neutral thing has become a cold disdain thing. We still trust you, but you’re not the fun loving femme from Cybertron who liked to pester both sides. I hate to say it, but you remind me of some of the cons, Shockwave in fact.” My spark dropped a bit.

“Yeah, well, he’s dead so a new scientist was needed. Maybe I filled his place too well.”

“Nah, I think this is from you being involved with him.”

“Again, he’s dead, so what’s it matter anyway.”

_It’s a sore point for her, Bulk. Let’s leave it alone._

“But this is the problem! She changed Bee, and we don’t know why.”

“Ugh, Bulkhead, look. After the exodus I spent millennia alone on our dead home world, trying to figure out why things went so horribly wrong. I literally built secret labs deep underground all around the planet where I found, studied, and created new relics. I learned things most could only dream of learning and many of those truths were unpleasant. The powers I have at my disposal are a heavy burden. It’s dampened my carefree attitude, since I need to be more careful, more responsible now. Some of these relics could destroy and entire solar system in the blink of an optic. I don’t want to be the one to blame for that kind of catastrophe.” They looked at me in shock, processing what I had just said.

“Oh…I, yeah. Ok. Sorry for pushing things, Indi.”

“It’s alright. You all have a right to know a lot of things, but I’m not ready to tell anyone anything right now. I’ve been through a lot, very little of it good.” Bee gave a sad beep.

 _We’re always here for you. We are family._ I smiled.

“I know. I’m glad. But you gotta give me time. Possibly a lot of it.” They nodded and we carried on in better spirits. We soon found a good haul of energon, bridging it back to base. After that, things were smoother between everyone.

But then Cliffjumper was captured by cons. And a whole lot of energon was blown up. The old medic tried to track Cliff signal but he offlined before we could pin point his location. To say the least, everyone was distraught, especially Arcee. She and Cliff had a special bond, and after hearing about what happened to her last partner, Tailgate, I couldn’t blame her. After everyone dispersed, I spoke with Optimus.

“I’ll do some digging. With my skills it should be easy to find the cons. I can’t bring him back but I can at least figure out what you’re up against. Give the team some solace perhaps.”

“Agreed. But please, for our sake, keep to the shadows. I know you are fond of your Decepticon friends but right now we need your help.”

“I will. I’m not that mean.” With a smirk, I flew off, heading to the blown energon site. Vehicon remains allowed me to piece a transmitter back together in a matter of joors, reversing it to track the cons. In a canyon a short flight away, the Nemesis, flagship of the Decepticons, lay quietly, not far from a massive energon mine. Scans of the ship revealed minimal activity, but the mine was another story entirely.

Hundreds of drones were digging, drilling, and hauling massive amounts of energon out and bridging it back to the ship. On an upper platform, two familiar frames overlooked the operation. Starscream, the whiny seeker SIC, was pointing out key operations. And Megatron deftly ignored him.

They always were an odd pair. Regal strength and lithe combativeness, working in perfect antithesis. Rumors swirled about them at every turn, some more plausible than others. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they were secretly interfacing, though it likely wouldn’t be out of any mutual or even one-sided feelings.

Other than the scale of the mine, I detected nothing in the immediate area pertaining to Cliff so I turned my attention to the Nemesis. I snuck aboard the command ship and explored the brig and bowels, looking for any hints. There wasn’t even a hint of Cliff ever being here. Whatever the cons did, the cleaned up their mess.

I snaked my way up to the command deck, hoping to find a feed of the past two solar cycles. Soundwave was there monitoring everything and maintaining the ground bridge and I nearly said hello, catching myself before I gave away my presence. He was my best friend, practically family, if I could ever have one. But I kept quiet, instead finding a connection port where I could review surveillance data. I quietly plugged in my data cable, my hard drives diving into the elaborate mainframe.

It didn’t take long to find a feed of Starscream talking to a captured Cliffjumper before impaling his spark with his claws. A rather merciful kill, by Starcream’s standards. He always was a champion of efficiency, I’ll give him that, and he knew better that to keep the bot around, invariably exposing the entire operation.

Suddenly a strong electric wave coursed through the system. Soundwave must have picked up on the anomaly in the database, or rather me, though he couldn’t clearly identify if I was a bug or an intruder. The shock would have pushed most things out immediately, but I was able to slowly extract myself, albeit with gritted denta. I’ll get him back for that one of these days.

Just as I was leaving the bridge, a call from the bots came through. Cliff’s signal was back online and they were going to get him. My new knowledge confirmed he was offlined for good, but I also knew of a certain few relics with the ability to reverse that. But it wouldn’t be Cliff. Just an empty shell.

Back at the mine my suspicions were confirmed. While a battle ensued, Arcee spotted his frame on a higher level and went after him. He was infected, to put it simply. And now cut in half. The work of Megatron no doubt. To say the least, she figured out something was wrong and was unable to save him, but the team was quickly distracted by the arrival of Starscream. I was still cloaked and on radio silence, but the con dropped a grenade into the mine. Everyone scattered and it took me a few kilks to return to their base. They were all a bit shaken up. And there were more humans.

“Prime. That was close. I…oh, more fleshies. Youth as well. Where’d you pick them up?”

“They caught us in action. Had to bring them here.” Bulkhead shrugged.

“Arcee, what happened up there?” Optimus was troubled.

“Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t Cliff.” She stumbled, having to sit down. Ratchet looked her over, spotting some purple goo on her servo.

“What’s this?”

“I-I don’t know. Cliff was covered in it, leaking it.”

“Go take a decontamination bath, immediately.” I sighed as she left.

“Dark energon. That’s what I was going to say. When Cliff was captured, Starscream clawed his spark out. Then Megatron returned. And clearly he brought dark energon. It’s one of only a few relics that can reanimate the fallen.” Optimus pondered this.

“This is grave news indeed. What could he be planning?”

“Use your imagination, Prime. Or rather, don’t. You know exactly what he ultimately wants. And depending on how much of this stuff he’s amassed, he could even reanimate Cybertron. But I’m out now. Want to say hello to my old friends. Though, if things get to crazy, I may come back. Drop you a hint or two.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?! Aren’t you a bot?” The young human female with pink in her hair spoke up angrily.

“I’m no bot, Pinky. I just do what I want, when I want, with who I want. And right now I want to reconnect with the dysfunctional side of my life.” Ratchet rolled his optics and Optimus nodded, bidding me farewell. I took off for the Nemesis, staying cloaked until I reached the landing platform.

My fondness for making an entrance wasn’t lost on the crew as I transformed midair, landing perfectly in a dramatic crouch. Of course, once the shock wore off there were twenty or so cannons aimed at my helm.

“Easy there, boys. I’m an old friend.” Heavy pedesteps could be heard heading towards us, along with lighter, faster ones.

“What’s all this commotion?! I don’t…” Megatron stopped and stared at me. I saluted him sarcastically.

“Greetings, _Lord_ Megatron. Miss me?” He smiled darkly.

“Aaartificce. It _is_ good to see you. Your timing could not have been better.”

“I’m aware. Your latest obsession is beginning to plague this world. I suppose you want opinions.” His cold smile said yes while Starscream stared daggers at me. “What’s _your_ problem, Screamers? Not happy about another powerful Cybertronian coming aboard?” He gritted his denta.

“ _I_ am displeased with your presence on this planet in general. You’ve always been a troublemaker in this war. How do we know you aren’t working with the Autobots?”

“Starscream, every sensible mech understands Artifice’s…unique neutrality. If she’s here, she’s aiding us. If she’s with them, she aides them. She’s no Airachnid.” Starscream huffed, wisely keeping quiet in response to his leader. “Come. Soundwave can debrief you on the bridge after you assist me.” We proceeded to one of Megatron’s private chambers, where he was keeping a collection of dark energon the size of a small meteorite.

“Woah. That’s a whole lot of evil in one place. So Cybertron _is_ your target. And how did you plan to control this new army?”

“I theorize that if I unite my spark with the blood of Unicron, I will have power over the resurrected. You can tell me how viable that is.”

“The effects of dark energon on the living have thus far gone untested, for good reason. For all we know, you could become an avatar of Unicron.”

“Master, please. Even the relic hunter does not know what it will do. It could destroy you!”

“Silence, Starscream! I think it is time we received some answers.” With that, he plunged a large shard into his spark chamber, growling as the power coursed through him. I could feel his spark throbbing against the intrusion. Once the merge was complete, he chuckled. “Yes, I can feel the dark power. My army will be unstoppable.” Starscream quivered.

“Eheh…and, what can I do to assist you, master?” Megatron glared at him, walking out with more energon.

“Quit groveling, and await my command. Artifice, familiarize yourself with the Nemesis and report to Soundwave at some point for debriefing.” He soon flew away to do who knows what, leaving Starscream in charge as we watched from the bridge. Soundwave came up behind him, silent as usual, startling the SIC.

“Soundwave! I fear that when our master reached for the stars, he came down with a touch of…space madness. Lord Megatron hasn’t been of sound judgment since his return. Increase global surveillance.” The surveillance officer casually replayed Megatron’s orders to the silver seeker. I nearly laughed. “I’m not deaf! But, if Optimus Prime lives, I believe it is in Lord Megatron’s best interest that we ensure his enemy’s…destruction.”

He had a point. Even Soundwave acknowledged this. So, surveillance increased, and soon a transmission from Fowler was intercepted. Laserbeak was dispatched to bring him in, which didn’t take very long at all. Once he was on board, Starscream went to interrogate him, leaving Soundwave and I alone on the bridge. I finally laughed.

“His confidence in his schemes is hilarious, although I can’t say as I’ve ever seen anyone come as close to defeating Prime as old Screamers. I’m beginning to think Megatron _wants_ to keep his old friend alive.” Soundwave simply returned to his monitors unresponsively. I sighed. “Oh, come on Sounders, it’s me! Since when do I get the cold shoulder?” I chuckled inwardly. Looks like I picked up a few human phrases in my time here. He stopped typing, giving a silent sigh.

_I do not feel there is anything to discuss._

A familiar surge brushed over my processor. For all the TIC was silent, those who interacted with him frequently knew he could be quite talkative telepathically. I chuckled.

“Aww, so you didn’t even miss me. And here I thought we were like family. Guess I was mistaken. But Megatron did say to have you debrief me and now seems as good a time as any.”

_I did not say that. And I am aware of my orders._

“Ugh, fine then. Since you’re clearly not in the mood for conversation, here. Plug me into the mainframe and upload everything I need to know to my databases.” I handed him my data cable from the back of my helm. It was another new upgrade and he paused for a moment, mildly surprised. “What? Efficiency is critical to my work.” He shrugged, plugging me in. Hundreds of files began to load into my processor. The cons had been busy. The upload took time so we sat there quietly waiting. Until curiosity got the best of me.

“Seriously, Soundwave, I gotta know. Did you miss me? Even a bit?” He paused, turning to me, blank faceplate staring at me. Even on my best days I knew he could see the hint of sadness behind my cold indigo optics.

 _…Of course I did. You are my most trusted friend. I do not have such friends on this vessel._ I was actually mildly surprised, smiling weakly.

“Wow…really? Uh, thanks. You’ve…never told me that. Explicitly, at least.” He just nodded, and I felt a hint of a smile behind that mask. After that the silence was comfortable, our fields lazily exchanging warm, positive EM waves with each other, leaving a perpetual contented smirk on my faceplate. But our peace was short-lived. Commotion on the ground indicated the Autobots’ arrival, to save Fowler no doubt. My data upload had just finished and I glanced towards Soundwave.

“I’m staying out of this one…for the most part. I’ll go warn Screamers.” I unplugged and cloaked myself, another intriguing upgrade to my old friend. I then made my way to the brig, where Fowler was being held, reappearing once I was inside. “Scream. The bots are here. Plan accordingly.” The SIC jumped, trying to sting me with an energon prod which I deftly evaded. “Really, Starscream, you shouldn’t be so jumpy. The other cons may think you’re…up to something.” Fowler was blatantly surprised to see me. “What’s with you, fleshie? Never seen a femme before?”

I vanished again, returning to the command deck to watch the show on another monitor. Since I didn’t have official access yet so I hacked in in a matter of microkliks, much to Soundwave’s distaste. The feeds of the Commander and of the raid in the halls made for quite the spectacle. Just Bulkhead, Bee, and Arcee were here…with their humans. How unorthodox. The vehicons were miserably unsuccessful at even slowing the team of bots down. Fowler was lucky I liked him, or else he would _not_ be getting rescued. I also felt this stepped a bit outside the realm of my particular neutrality. Hostages were a rather acute, side-oriented thing. At one point, Soundwave slunk over to me, watching what I was doing. I had felt him observing me from his station, so I must have done something to bring him over.

 _You are not the same Indigo I knew on Cybertron._ I shrugged.

“Times have changed, and change requires evolution. I simply followed the natural course of things.” He made a quiet, thoughtful clicking noise.

 _Evasive._ No further elaboration was given.

“What?”

_Your response is evasive._

“Is it? How so?”

 _What have you become?_ I paused, slowly turning to look at the taller mech.

“That, is a complicated question. And it is irrelevant. I am stronger and my probability of failure is near zero. That is all that matters.”

_I disagree._

“And why is that? Your main concern is the Decepticon objective, I am now better suited to aid that objective.”

_You were built for a purpose. Until now you’ve had no desire to deviate or improve upon that. But now you are much more. Your reasons cannot be purely logical._

“Ugh, look, if you, specifically you, want the whole story, then fine. But now is not the time or place. No one needs to know because that knowledge is dangerous.” Our argument was interrupted by the bots reaching Starscream. As usual, he ended up panicking and running away.

_We will patrol, and discuss._

Sounders returned to his station as the bots escaped with Fowler. Megatron returned soon after and proceeded to beat some sense into his SIC while the seeker groveled ingloriously. The angry Decepticon Lord and his pet made for quite the entertaining sight. This time, however, Starscream had a viable escape, with a means of getting Megatron’s plan back on course.

We spent the night preparing. Soundwave was sent to an array station in Texas to target Cybertron, given that the ships interstellar targeting system was damaged in the Fowler rescue. I took over surveillance while we readied the ship to receive the undead army. Part of me hoped he failed, just because I liked Earth as a whole, but sabotage was generally beneath me. I could only hope the bots had a plan.

As dawn broke, we set out for the space bridge. Megatron went to prepare the dark energon, leaving Starscream and I alone on the bridge. It was a bit awkward to say the least. He also paced incessantly. I decided to busy myself by tinkering with some of my modifications. Apparently it annoyed him.

            “ _How_ are you so nonchalant? This could be the greatest victory in Decepticon history and you’re sitting there concerned about your cannons!”

“I could care less about your silly victories, Starscream. I’m here for a good show, and as it stands there isn’t anything interesting happening. No use wasting energy being excited about nothing.”

“Aargh…and _this_ is who Megatron chooses to put his faith in. Pathetic!” I narrowed my indigo optics, slowly putting my tools down and walking over to him, intently staring down his own scarlet optics. I stuck a clawed digit over his spark chamber, pressing just hard enough to watch his optics flicker in uncertain discomfort as I spoke in a low voice.

“Pathetic, you say? And who is it who has _never_ failed a mission? _Never_ disturbed Lord Megatron’s plans? Never… _disappointed_ him? I rather think it is _you_ who is pathetic. Megatron keeps you like a pet, a plaything. Primus only knows why, given that you invariably fail or betray him.  Care to enlighten me?” At this point sheer horror had crept into the SIC’s expression as my claw had begun to draw energon far too close to that critical area.

“…E-enough! I dare say there are enough rumors to answer your query.” He gritted his denta, turning away from me to look at the monitors. I smirked.

“So, you really are his toy. Given his attitude it must be some time since he last fragged you.” The seeker stopped sharply, wings going rigid and indicating his alarm, offense, and anger. He then rounded on me, only to be met with my right cannon aimed at his spark.

“You wouldn’t dare…”

“Oh Starscream, you are too easy to read. Especially for a fellow seeker. Tell me, who enjoys your meetings more, Megatron or yourself? I’d guess you.”

“What’s it to you? My personal life is inconsequential.”

“Except that a crew operates best when all of its members are…content. Particularly its commanding officers.” He growled lowly.

“Yes, but you and I both know I’m not the only seeker he’s taken a liking to in this war. And you _are_ so much more pleasing to him.”

“I do what he commands. You do what he _wants_. Our relations were always a matter of boredom-tinged technicality, when he needed a bit of reprieve and you weren’t around. I honestly believe he likes you better in that context.”

“Are you on my side now?”

“I’m on no one’s side.”

“You know something.”

“I know you are both too proud to acknowledge how much you enjoy each other’s particular company. I personally suspect that if you could get over yourselves you would find that you complement each other quite well and you would make a powerful pair.”

“He’s a dull, stone-helmed brute! How could he possibly get along with someone as finessed as me?” I retracted my cannon.

“I dare you to find out. Maybe start by coaching his technique. We both know he would be a rather dissatisfying partner if not for his sheer girth. Finesse _him_ , and show him exactly why seekers make the best berth-mates. Give him a bit of softness and see what he does with it.”

“That could be suicide.”

“Or it could be better than Primus himself.” Starscream glanced away uneasily.

“…And if it is? Then what will I do? He’ll likely want to bond with me!”

“Is that so despicable to you?” His field said no. In truth, the silver seeker kept a deep attraction to the large mech buried in the coldest part of his spark. Everyone would benefit from their union.”

“He has plans for you. He told me. A victory celebration, he called it.”

“Well, I’m not stupid enough to tell him no. Which means you’ll have to win his attention. That shouldn’t be too hard for someone as narcissistic as yourself.” He smirked.

“Heh, well then, challenge accepted.” We soon began to approach the space bridge and Megatron returned, ready to receive his army.

The bots were there, perhaps thinking they could stop an entire army from coming through. Soundwave would lock on soon and then there would be no stopping the cons. As the bridge aligned, its link was interrupted by something, preventing the gate from opening.

“Rrrrr, Starscream! What is happening?” The SIC panicked.

“Uh…Soundwave, what is going on down there?” The humans. The humans must be hacking the connection. Clever. But Soundwave was more so. A brief pause ensued during which Megatron sent the combaticons to occupy the bots on the bridge. Then Sounders got everything realigned. While Megatron took the energon to the hull, Scream activated the tech. All fighting paused while we watched the gladiator hurl his collection into the bridge, Optimus trying unsuccessfully to shoot it down. Their only hope now was to disable the bridge before the legions came through.

Apparently, they had an idea as the team split off, leaving Optimus to face off with his friend turned rival. The fight was impressive, but just as it looked like Megatron was gaining the upper hand I noticed something on our cameras.

“Scream. Look. The bots are on to something.” He called it in just as Megatron was about to deal the finishing blow. As much as it irritated the silver mech, he was impressed by Optimus’ deception and tried unsuccessfully to finish him before flying off to deal with the others. A bit too late. Starscream looked at me nervously.

“What did they do?”

“Reversed the current. The whole bridge is going to blow.” His optics went wide.

“Turn this ship around! I want us as far away from this as possible!” The drones obeyed, and when Megatron called in, Starscream was in a panic. “We would never make it, Lord Megatron. Don’t be a fool! Take flight and retreat!” Megatron would not listen and as we pulled away, the bridge collapsed, undoubtedly killing everyone in or near it. So much for that plan.

For a while, the ship was in silent shock, until Starscream’s power lust brought him back to his senses. He noted his master’s passing in the ships log, the promptly made a show of assuming command. He later summoned me to accompany him to the chamber where Megatron had kept the dark energon.

“As the new leader of the Decepticons, I will need a second in command. I would like to offer that position to you.”

“Ooh, and question your every move? Tempting. But isn’t Soundwave more loyal? And, as TIC, the natural choice?”

“I…feel Soundwave is better suited to his current position. Though if he desired a promotion he has made no mention of it.”

“He’s not a mech that particularly cares. Loyalty to the cause comes first. I care who’s winning. Who would you rather have at your side?”

“Soundwave may be unfailingly loyal but you can ensure we win. With your knowledge…”

:You know all too well that isn’t how I operate. I’ll ensure _fair_ victories, but I will give you no more of an upper hand than Sounders.” We now stood in front of the old containment unit, still humming with traces of the rare energon. I moved to look at Scream more directly, off to his right a bit. “Unless you have a different motive for asking me. Perhaps a more…simplistic one.” He smirked at me innocently.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” I returned his smirk, strolling around him as I spoke.

“I don’t think you like having a loose cannon like me out of your control. I’m too much of a threat. But, as your SIC, things would be different.” I stood behind him, close enough to speak softly into his audio. I also took one of my claws and trailed it along the leading edge of his wing and down his back, making him shudder while I finished my explanation. “I would have to listen, to _obey_ you. You could… _command_ me. And keep me on as short of a leash as you desire.” He let out a deep, rumbling growl and quickly spun, pinning me against the tank.

“Keep that up and you’ll be begging for mercy. You said it yourself, seekers _do_ make the best lovers.”

“I’m well aware, _Lord_ Starscream. So why do you really want me to be your second?”

“You are valuable. And despite your seductive point, everyone knows a title holds little meaning to you. You’d still do what you want.” I hooked some of his hip plating and pulled his frame closer to mine, faceplates almost colliding. “Do you make a habit of interfacing with all your commanders? Because if I recall correctly, you’ve kept every one of the former Decepticon leaders company.”

“Hmm, well in all cases except one, they asked first. Although, I’m not hard to convince. I’ve also fragged more than just the leaders. Most anyone is fair game in my book.”

“Would you have behaved like this towards me if Megatron were still here?”

“No, because you belonged to him, whether you liked it or not. Me interfering would have been dangerous. Although, it also could have gotten rather interesting.

“So if he and I hadn’t been…involved, I too would have been on your radar.”

“Certainly. I figured my blatantly quick move made that clear.” He chuckled.

“You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“So much the better, _my Lord_.”


	4. Chapter 3: Aftermath to Antipathy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Nerdlings!  
> I. Did. It. Chapter three is honestly a bit of an emotional roller coaster, you've been warned. But, on the important announcements I have. First, I will be home for christmas and new years so I highly doubt I will be doing much writing or posting. Which means a minimum of three weeks until I update anything and probably a good 4-6 for the next chapter of this fic. Now, I may put up a one shot at some point, if I get around to it, as a holiday gift. Might be more smut, might be more Jess and Logic Doc, who knows. Might be that KOxArcee gig my best friend requested. But that's the rundown, so keep your optics peeled. I should also probably mention that when I wrote Ch1 I didn't remember that Optimus had never met Wheeljack so I fudged that bit of storyline in this chapter too lol. Happy holidays to all you lovely readers and as usual, thanks for reading!  
> -Ghost

Things on the Nemesis had been fairly quiet, despite Starscream taking command. That is, until he grew bored and got it into his processor that the crew didn’t see him as a true leader. So he addressed everyone over video feed. I was helping with a few repairs to the coms and targeting systems but his interruption was entertaining. He made a fair speech, but he was still Starscream, so naturally he made some power-happy statements. Once he finished, one of the drones, Steve, spoke up.

“With all due respect Commander Star-, uh, Lord Starscream…”

“Yes, yes. What is it?”

“If we failed to conquer Earth under Lord Megatron’s command, what hope do we have now while the Autobots still defend it?” Fair point, in Steve’s processor.

“Aaagh, allow me to be crystal clear. I studied for millennia under our…former master, thus I am equipped to lead you. I, Megatron’s true heir, Lord Starscream, Emperor of Destruction!” I had never been so glad for one way coms as I burst out laughing. Luckily no one was around either to comment on my outburst. I wish I could have been there to see the undoubtedly lukewarm response of the troops. He was never going to live that title down as long as I had a voice on this ship.

Shortly after while I was fixing the interstellar navigation system, Screamers and Soundwave flew by, clearly on a mission. I threw a call out to my friend before his telepathy got out of range.

“What’s he on to now, Sounders? A Starscream in a hurry never bodes well.”

_Gladiator in stasis. Report later._

Oof. This wouldn’t end well. There were only a handful of living Cybertronians left here as guards of energon caches, but if his target was the one I was thinking of, this would be absurd. I quickly wrapped up my work and rifted to their location, just in time to see Skyquake throw our new lord into the side of the canyon. He came and landed up by us.

“Classy, Screamers. And just what gave you the idea to awaken one of the greatest gladiators of Kaon, hm?” He jumped, rounding to face me. Even Soundwave’s wings betrayed brief shock.

“A-Artifice! Where did you come from? And why are you here?!”

“Look, there are only a handful of Gladiators in this dirt and none so powerful as Sky. I’ll be right back.” I made a show of flying down, landing between the con and Optimus, who undoubtedly had come to investigate. “Skyquake. Welcome back to the land of the living. I see you’ve met our new leader.” I vaguely gestured towards Starscream. Sky growled.

“Indigo Artifice. That insect cannot truly be Megatron’s successor.”

“He is. He’s been SIC since the loss of Shockwave.”

“And you did not seize control?! You would make a leader far greater than Megatron, and I would happily serve by your side.”

“Hm, as interesting as that would be, my neutrality prevents me from assuming leadership of either faction, regardless of how great a leader I could be. I am currently humoring our Lord by playing the role of SIC. It makes him feel better, believing he has some semblance of control over me.” Optimus joined in and tried to persuade the gladiator to change causes. To say the least, it went poorly and the fighting began, so I returned to where the other two were watching the action. Starscream was clearly irritated.

“It is a wonder you haven’t undermined me, since even the mighty Skyquake would readily bow to your command.”

“Ah, but you see, I don’t want them to bow. I want them to do their jobs and do them right. That’s the difference. It also helps that we have honor where you do not. But you shouldn’t be surprised at my actions. Like I told Sky, neutrality prevents me from leading either side. Because whichever side I lead would be certain to win.”

“Rrrgh…you still never answered how you got here without Soundwave detecting you.”

“Heh, just a fun little thing I call rifting. It’s basically a self-contained teleportation system.”

“Another upgrade I assume.”

“A _very_ valuable one. There’s no place I can’t locate or get into.”

“Hm…interesting…” Soundwave interrupted, displaying _another_ Decepticon life signal. Out by the space bridge remains no less. Scream panicked. The only life lost out there was Megatron’s, so naturally his potential survival, no matter how uncanny, was distasteful. But he nonetheless went to investigate, ordering Soundwave to continue recording the canyon battle. Once the seeker left, however, Laserbeak was sent after him, to ensure no foul play. And Sounders connected one of his cables to mine, sharing Lase’s feed. I shifted uncomfortably.

“Heh, I guess you want me to see this.”

_Trusting Starscream is a foolish maneuver._

“I agree…but stay out of my processor. I don’t need you snooping around in there.” He hummed in agreement, and though I could feel his probes brushing the edges of my databases, he didn’t access anything. Regardless, I was still on edge, and he sensed it.

 _You hide many things._ I replied via our link.

_Does this surprise you?_

_It hurts you. And makes you uneasy._

_When you spend millions of stellar cycles fighting a war you were built to fight, even though it isn’t yours, you acquire many painful and unsavory secrets. You know this better than most._ A surge of despair washed over him briefly, bleeding through our connection. I turned back, looking at the ground. _Sorry. That was uncalled for._

_It…is fine. I am still processing your return._

_…What?_

_I thought you dead. It was an easy choice._

Suddenly, a lot of things clicked in my processor. And even my impenetrable walls couldn’t hold back some of the immense guilt and sorrow that coursed through me with these realizations.

 _Do not despair. You could not have helped it._ Small tears threatened to spill from my optics.

_Yes, I could have. But I didn’t realize you felt that strongly. Nor would I have wanted to accept that as truth. Even now, it will take time for me to come to terms with it. I don’t like being important like that. Because I don’t have anyone that important to me anymore. You…you come close though._

_You were not always so cold. And you are only lying to yourself._

_I don’t need to spell it out. You feel my pain too acutely. I refuse to repeat my mistakes. After all, it only took three mechs to do this to me. Imagine what a fourth would do. And lying to myself…even if that’s true, it is subconscious now._ I felt his realization.

 _…That is the pain I understand best._ Suddenly, I found myself embraced by the thin arms of my friend while he pulsed a strong EM field around me, trying to improve my mood. The action drove me to tears that I barely managed to keep in check.

“S-Soundwave…thank you…but if you don’t stop I’m going to become a huge mess really quick. I’d rather no one else see me while I’m weak.”

_I understand. Will you try to have more faith in me?_

“I’ll try. But things might get messy, and I may hurt you along the way.”

 _Trust me to be your walls for those times. Caring for anyone will always come with painful moments, and I do care for you greatly, as much as I care for Laserbeak._ I smiled a bit.

“Okay. Whether I like it or not, you really are like family, Soundie. So I guess I need to let you fill that role.” He nodded, releasing me and turning his attention back to the fight and Starscream. I pulled myself together as Skyquake was defeated and offlined by Optimus and Bumblebee. Scream found Megatron so we bridged them back to the sick bay, quickly placing the old mech in stasis.

Later that night when most of the crew was in recharge, I found Starscream alone in the med bay, watching Megatron in deep thought with wings betraying his troubled state. I slipped my arms around him from behind, resting my helm on his shoulder. For once, he didn’t jump.

“What’s troubling the Emperor of Destruction this time?” He snorted indignantly.

“What do you think? You always seem to be able to read me.”

“Mm, yes, but I try not to intrude or make assumptions.”

“I want to know what you think, what you see when I’m like this.” I moved to his side, a servo on his right arm while he turned to face me, gently stroking a digit down my jaw. I didn’t bother hiding the sympathy in my eyes.

“I doubt you’ll actually want to hear my view.”

“Hmm, desire is less of a factor. It’s a need.”

“You need to know how well you’re hiding things.” He nodded darkly.

“The greedy part of me hopes he doesn’t recover so that I remain in charge. But then there’s that one, small, annoying part of my spark that just wants him back.”

“I know. I knew when I called you out about fragging him. But this is beyond a physical relationship for you. And possibly for him, if you two could ever be honest with each other.”

“I didn’t get the chance to try what you suggested. So I suppose the curiosity is plaguing me too.”

“If you ever make up your mind, I’ll find a way to guarantee either his recovery or his demise. But it is ultimately your decision, as the leader of this faction.” He sighed and pulled me into an embrace. A very rare and meticulously hidden side of Starscream was here tonight, so I encouraged him, returning his action.

“I don’t want to make that decision…”

“You’ll have to.” He vented deeply.

“How…why are you the one I am turning to? Why is it that you inherently earn the trust, respect, and even love of everyone you interact with?” I gave a soft vent as well.

“I don’t entirely know. But being neutral is a huge factor. It’s my job to gather sensitive information while not sharing it across sides. Respect, well, I’d often say fear. Even on his best day I could end Megatron in a sparkbeat if I so chose. I’m too dangerous to disrespect.”

“And love?”

“No idea. I don’t consider myself particularly romantic.”

“Hm, indeed, as no one has _your_ trust or love. No one on this ship knows anything about you, beyond your flawless reputation.”

“I hate betrayal, in any form. So I find it logical to not risk that by trusting anyone.”

“Have you ever loved someone? Or are you as cold as Shockwave.” I grimaced.

“Yes, unfortunately I have. On rare occasion, it can’t be helped. Look at you. You’re being torn apart.”

“Love may be a strong word.”

“Nothing else is as stubborn about sticking around.”

“I…want him. And I want him to only be mine. But it is a foolish desire. He hates me!”

“Are you so sure? You’ve fragged up pretty spectacularly on occasion, yet he hasn’t offlined you. That in itself is unique and promising.”

“But what if, somehow, he knew how I felt. And he was merely keeping me around to toy with?” I snorted. “What’s that for?” He looked at me, mildly offended.

“Look, Megatron has done an innumerable amount of terrible, unforgivable things, but emotional torture has never been his style. Now, if we were talking about Unicron, that would be a very real possibility. But it’s just old Megs. If he managed to figure it out and didn’t like it, he’d just offline you.”

“…Unicron?” He looked at me quizzically.

“Yeah, did that trigger something?”

“No, but why did you bring him up?”

“He’s a good example. You’ve heard the stories about him.”

“I suppose so…no one speaks that freely about him is all.”

“The gods don’t hold nearly as mighty a place in my processor as the do for most others.”

“Why?” He released me, keeping his servos on my forearms.

“Heh…well, when you’ve had as many run-ins with them as I have, you start seeing them as regular Cybertronians, just with grander agendas.”

“…You’ve met the gods…why does this not surprise me?” I smiled a bit.

“Eh, cuz it’s me. I’ve had far stranger experiences.”

“Fair enough. Now, I’m curious, you’ve proven that you do in fact have emotions, so there must be _someone_ in your life that you care about.”

“Oooh, as if I would tell you. But I can confirm it’s not you.”

“Why not tell me?”

“Just because you like me now doesn’t mean you won’t hate me tomorrow. Primus knows I’ve watched you turn the tables on a lot of cons.”

“Very well, I’ll give you that. I do believe my mood is quite improved now. Shall we…retreat to my quarters?”

“If you have something in mind.”

“Yes, I have a few new tricks to show you.”

“Then let’s leave this hunk of rust alone for today and enjoy that fact that _we_ aren’t in his condition.” Though he was the SIC, Starscream’s quarters were impressive, with several rooms and a high grade bar leading into a recharge chamber with a berth big enough for three gladiators. It was all quite classy, and by now I knew exactly where he kept his favorite intoxicants.

“Hmm…thirsty today, hunter?”

“Only for you, Screamy.” He caught me before I could steal anything, however, pinning me against the counter.

“I’d rather not taint the experience tonight.” He stroked my wings seductively, sending a shudder through my frame.

“Ooh, someone’s confident today.” He kissed me, entwining his glossa with mine while continuing to trouble the sensors in my wings, thoroughly enjoying how it made me writhe. It didn’t take us long to make out way to the berth. Starscream was very skilled and I quite enjoyed these nights with him. Seekers were renowned for being excellent lovers but two Seekers together, well, few could fathom just how amazing it made things. And his new tricks really were wonderful. The best, or possibly funniest, part was how cuddly he became when we were done, holding me close to him and humming happily.

“I like it when you stick around, Indigo.” I smiled, optics slowly turning off.

“Hnnn…you don’t give me much choice, you know.”

“You could easily leave if you really wanted to, we both know that.” He pecked the side of my helm. “Rest well my dear.” And I did just that, warm and almost content in his embrace. If he could ever convince Megatron to let him frag him how he frags me, I don’t know how the gladiator could tell his SIC no.

______________________________________________________

The next day was pretty quiet, as it should be with a happy commander running the ship. I idly monitored the energon mines from the command bridge, looking for anomalies while Soundwave reviewed space bridge data and looked for ways to revive Megatron. He was determined to save the silver mech, whom he had followed loyally since the war began. Around midday, just as a patrol returned, I felt him brush his field against mine, getting my attention.

 _Patrol?_ Right, that…

“Alright, we have clearance?”

_Of course._

“Fine, let’s go then. The more remote an area, the better. And no coms, signals, or trackers, at least for me.” He simply headed outside, taking off toward the canyons. I followed, fully cloaked. Every so often he would brush my processor to keep track of me, otherwise unconcerned about my location.

We flew for several joors in seemingly random directions, ending up in an area I hadn’t explored. But I heard things, and felt them. There were relics and corpses everywhere in this ground, almost overwhelming me. I transformed, landing with a stagger and having to kneel down. Soundwave watched me quietly, and emotionlessly. Tears were actually threatening to fall for all the dead below me. I turned to him angrily.

“Why would you bring me here?! You know what these places do to me when I’m out of tune…”

_That is exactly why I brought you here. Efficient way to get through your walls._

“That’s cruel.”

_But effective._

“Did you think I was going to lie to you? I can’t stay here…I can barely speak…” He paused, pondering my accusation.

_I cannot help but be unsure of you. But I know a better place._

He flew off swiftly. I was much slower, forcing myself to move and transform. Once we cleared several miles I felt better. We ended up landing in a gem-studded cave system far from the Nemesis. And deep underground. Eventually we reached a larger chamber, where Soundwave stopped and turned to me.

_Talk._

“Wow, you really aren’t in a patient mood today.” He was unresponsive. Typical. “Ugh, alright. I’m sitting down for this, but I don’t know where to start. You asked what I’ve become and honestly all I can say is _more_.” He stood across from me expectantly and silent. “I guess it all really started after the Exodus. With no one really left on the planet, I built hidden labs around the core and at various points around the planet. There I gathered thousands of new relics, of all types and strengths. Most were fairly underwhelming, but a few were powerful enough to annihilate entire systems, galaxies even, in a sparkbeat. They were relics from Unicron, and I knew I needed to keep them safe and hidden. I began looking for a way to transport them easily and discreetly, but it turned into something much greater. Even I don’t understand the science behind it, the Rift. Or perhaps it’s my Rift. I don’t know…” I drifted off, pondering this concept.

_…Rift?_

“It’s and extra-dimensional space, in the simplest sense, maybe even another plane of existence, I’m not really sure. All I know is that it’s nothing but pure matter in there that I can mold with a single thought. And as long as what I create doesn’t leave the Rift, I can unmold it just as easily. Time doesn’t pass out here while I’m inside, and I don’t age in there either. I spent almost an eon in there testing relics and that theory. Its surface also shifts relative to the planet I’m on, not to mention that just a few steps in the Rift is miles across the surface of Earth or Cybertron. I keep my personal ship there with a coordinate translator. I can go from here to any planet in microkliks without the uncertainties of a space bridge, hence no one can ever know the truths behind my ‘teleportation’.” Soundwave processed all of this eventually deciding on a question.

_How do you access it?_

“These.” I showed him the bands around my wrists, faintly glowing red from the singular gem embedded in each. “They don’t come off. I integrated them into my systems so that if anyone tries to take them and access the Rift it destroys me and the cuffs.”

_I admire your commitment. Can you bring others through, if you so choose?_

“Yeah, but I would need a _very_ good reason to do so. Megatron for example. If I trusted him and was more loyal to him, he could lie in the Rift forever, on the edge of death, until a way to revive him is found. But I won’t do that. He’s the last person that needs to know what I am capable of.”

_Perhaps someday I can see this place._

“Possibly. If I deemed it necessary.”

_You have rifts and cloaks, cables and artifacts. I understand more, but you still have not explained what drove you to this._

“Yes, I did. Three mechs and planet-wide decimation.”

_Which mechs?_

“Oh, use your imagination! Who do you think? You found me after the second and I’m fairly certain I’ve told you about the first. The third should be obvious. I was played and used, and I refuse to let that happen again. So I made myself strong, dangerous, unnatural. I figure that should deter most ill intent.”

_You buried your damage behind near impenetrable walls. That is not the strength you seek._

“Don’t start this, Soundwave. I can’t deal with you cracking me open right now. I know what you say is true, but this is _my_ easier choice.

_You need to let go. You’ve held in for too long. It is affecting you._

“Of course it’s affecting me! And I’m not going to let it out yet. This new phase of the war is still too uncertain. I need to stay alert.” He vented, sitting down next to me.

_Then promise to come to me when you do._

“I already said I would, but I swear on my spark, I’ll let you in when I’m ready.”

_Good. What else happened? There is more._

“Well…not only did I create relics, like these cuffs, but I also may have…given birth to a few. Three, in fact. I’m not sure how, given my apparent infertility, but the right combinations of exposures and circumstances can make anything happen. I also had _many_ dealings with the gods.” He didn’t reply. “Ugh, do I have to spell it out? Primus and I nearly created more Primes. And Unicron…well, we’ve had our share of fun. Nothing came of it though.” Sounders processed all of this.

_…You are…insane, quite possibly._

“Thanks buddy.”

_Interfacing with the god of chaos is not something to be taken lightly._

“Eh, he likes me.”

_Because you are valuable._

“Actually not just that. We have had many discussions about his habits and reputation, as well as my usefulness. We’ve determined that I am actually very dangerous to him, enough that he’d rather be on my good side. So there’s a mutual understanding. If I tell him no, he listens. There are plenty of other frames out there for him to use and abuse.

_You are more cautious then._

“Yeah, basically. I’m not just jumping into things without thinking. He’s not just a mech.”

_I have an idea, since you don’t really want to talk. Let me into your processor. Show me what you have seen. Then I will understand your signals._

“I don’t know if I can handle that…”

_Please._

I vented, releasing my data cable, which he connected his processor to. We sat there for joors, exchanging information about what happened in our time apart. Emotions were everywhere, me going from crying to laughing to wanting to offline someone while similar feelings coursed through my friend’s field. We ended up cuddled together, him holding me tight as we reconnected.

I didn’t realize just how much I meant to him, under that cold exterior. He loved me like a trine mate, something neither of us had. And deep down, I felt the same way. He knew this for sure now, but he also realized I would likely never say anything aloud. But, being Soundwave, that was perfectly okay with him, because he knew the truth. After who knows how long, we were interrupted by Starscream, as was inevitable.

‘ _Soundwave. I need you back on the ship. And find Artifice if you can._ ’

Apparently we had been gone a lot longer than intended as it was sundown when we left for the Nemesis. When we returned, Starscream pulled me aside with a mission.

“I want you to search some caverns for relics, or anything out of the ordinary. I noticed some strange readings when I flew over earlier today. If my suspicions are correct, these caves go deep into the planet’s crust, deeper than almost any other point.”

“Interesting. Anything special you want?”

“Rare energon is always good. Or old relics like the Omega Keys or Apex Armor. Whatever you deem useful.”

“I may be gone for a while.” He smirked.

“I’ll survive. The ship shouldn’t fall apart without you.”  
            “Alright. I’ll head out tonight. Maybe there will be something interesting.”

I spent a cycle in the caves, digging up and studying demi-relics. But nothing was particularly great, or even a true relic. There wasn’t any rare energon either, and I was running out of caves. But I still had the one that went deepest to explore, so I dove down into the darkness.

There was certainly something down here, I could feel it, though nothing showed on any of my scanners. I kept walking deeper until I saw them. Hundreds of glowing pods with what looked to be insecticons inside. Hatched specimens lay in hibernation around the huge chamber, leading to one particularly large creature, a Queen. But something was wrong with them. Normal insecticons didn’t look like these creatures. They were large and winged, but had changed so that they glowed and were more skeletal. Larger claws and carnivorous denta were also unusual, almost predacon in appearance.

Perhaps they were mutants…or hybrids. Shockwave had sent several predacons to Earth near the end of the war. Regardless, I cloaked and crept into the room, cautiously investigating these Muticons. They had poison tanks and…miniature energon harvesters in their helms. Creepy. I made the mistake of stepping back, crushing a rock.

The Queen’s gaze turned on me, or where I seemed to be, and an earth-shattering screech woke all the resting spawn. I was fragged. Cannons charged, I started shooting the hoard down while trying to retreat far enough to rift. One got a hold on my right arm, tearing away at the plating and disrupting my cloaking ability. Where should I go was the real question. The cons would want to pursue the creatures for their army. The bots on the other hand…well, they were the safer bet right now. Decision made, I managed to clear enough space to launch myself through the rift, landing at their base in a pile. I quickly shut the rift behind me, but not before a Muticon helm got through. It was severed by the closure and I drug myself up, shooting its processor and offlining the beast. Apparently, there was an audience.

“Indigo, what in the name of…you’re leaking everywhere!” Ratchet hurried over and started repairing my wounds.

“I’m fine, Ratch. Just some plating damage.”

“Fine my aft! You might lose an arm if I don’t fix it. Now hush and let me work.”

“Indigo, what is this creature?” Optimus gestured to the Muticon.

“I’m calling them Muticons, and they live in a cave system not far from here. I think they are some weird hybrid between predacon and insecticon. Dangerous fraggers.” My arm patch was done so I hopped of the crate I was sitting on, much to the doctor’s distaste. Prying open the creatures jaws, I ripped something out from the back of its intake. “This is what I’m really concerned about. It’s a miniaturized energon harvester and converter that changes the captured fluids into Tox-En, which is then stored in tanks within their frames. Naturally made destruction.”

“That’s…kinda horrifying, Indi.” Bulkhead looked at the helm warily. I shrugged, tossing the device into a small rift for later examination.

“You guys want the helm? I’m going back and exterminating these bugs once I’m healed. But they are an interesting study in concentrated evolution.”

“I don’t see any reason to keep that around. You take it. And make sure _all_ of them are offlined.” Ratchet continued repairing the various bites and tears in my plating.

“Yes sir. Anyway, what are you all up to? Must be big for everyone to be here at once.”

“Waiting for Wheeljack to land!” The human female’s enthusiasm made me smirk.

“Aw, my favorite Wrecker is stopping in? I have good timing. No offense, Bulk.”

“Eh, none taken. You two always did like each other.”

“By the way, what are all you fleshies’ names?”

“I’m Miko! Destruction extraordinaire!” She made some sort of punching motion.

“Heh, I like your spirit, Pinky. A wrecker in the making.” I winked at Bulkhead, who rolled his optics. The older boy looked at me uneasily.

“I’m Jack. This is Raf.”

“Good to meet you.” I looked at the small one. “I’m guessing you’re the one that threw off my friend’s attempts to align the space bridge.” Raf shrugged shyly.

“ _That_ guy’s your friend?! He tried to kill us!” Miko was not pleased.

“Eh, you were in his way. And loyalty is his jam. Soundwave doesn’t fail. That’s _why_ he’s my friend, more like a brother actually.” Bulk chuckled.

“Neutral to the cause, _very_ biased towards the mechs of it. And femmes of course.”

“Is it true that Megatron is offline?” Optimus looked at me sadly.

“He’s in stasis. And Starscream possesses the only means of reviving him. Megatron’s fate sits in the hands of a traitor.”

 _Traitor?_ Bee beeped curiously.

“Well, Scream has only tried to dethrone Megatron every chance he could. Venomously power-hungry Seeker, that one is.”

“So Megatron might never return. If we know Starscream at all, he will do anything to prevent that.” Arcee wasn’t wrong, with all the bots knew, at least.

“Most likely, yes. But he’s a loose cannon that not even Soundwave can predict. He might get desperate.”

“Indigo is correct. We cannot make any assumptions about Starscream or how he will lead the Decepticons. We must keep our guard up.” Everyone nodded, but beeping on the consoles got our attention.

“Wheeljack’s ship is approaching the landing zone.” Arcee studied the trajectory.

“You think he’s just here to visit?” Raf looked between Jack and Miko.

“Maybe he’ll stay! Have to find his own human though.” I chuckled.

“Hate to break it to you, Pinky, but he’s never been the staying type. But hey, it’s been a few millennia, maybe something changed.” Ratchet got the ground bridge spooling, albeit with a few bugs.

“Blasted scraplets! Equipment hasn’t been the same since the infestation.”

“Infestation?” Ratch explained that a few solar cycles ago they had found and escape pod in the arctic and it turned out to be full of scraplets. The vicious bugs could eat a mech alive, literally. Optimus explained the reasoning behind having him land halfway around the world to the humans.

“But…Indigo knows your location. And she spends most of her time with the cons it seems.” Jack glanced towards me.

“Indigo is a special case. I do not believe we could stop her from knowing our location if we wanted to.”

“He’s right. I can do whatever I want. But I like these guys so currently not a threat.” I smirked, chuckling at Bulkhead who was excitedly pacing, so thrilled for his brother in arms to come back. The whole wrecker crew was like a family, even though they started out as just another military squadron. But then some bogies showed up, no doubt cons pursuing our old friend.

“Open the bridge, Ratchet! We’re missing all the action!” Bulkhead was right, but when I moved to go, the old doc stopped me.

“You need rest. And once Wheeljack arrives, we both know you won’t be doing any of that.” I shrugged innocently, playing dumb.

“Don’t know what you mean, Doc.” It was a matter of kliks before they returned, a familiar red, white, and green mech with them. Bulkhead wasted no time introducing Miko while Ratchet grumbled over the ground bridge short. Optimus welcomed him, as a Prime does, with a very noble air and offered him a place on the team. It had been some time since Wheeljack had last been in the Prime’s presence. The day we retrieved the Matrix from the core was the last to my knowledge.

“Ah, Optimus. Don’t you know a pretty faceplate like his never stays anywhere long?” I winked at my old friend, who looked rather confused.

“Heh…I’m sorry?” I rolled my optics, strutting over and doing a slow lap around him, lightly catching at his hips as I did.

“Oh come on, you and I both know you get stir crazy. That’s why I intend to make the most of you being here, you old flirt.”

“Ha, well, I’m not sure what you mean by that but, er, it certainly sounds fun.” My optics narrowed ever so slightly as I gave him a cold smirk.

“Well, if that’s how it’s gonna be. Ratchet, I’ll head down below and see if I can patch up the bridge a bit from the back side, as well as any other damage I come across.” With that, I left, heading underground. Miko pursued at first.

“Wait, Indigo! Aren’t you gonna rock out with us?”

“Nah kid, kinda put off right now.”

“Are you…or I guess did you and Wheeljack used to be, like, dating or something.” My optics betrayed me a bit.

“Yeah, we’re very close. Not sure what his deal is. I’ve known Jackie forever and he’s always a flirt, especially with me. Can barely keep his servos off me usually. So I’m quite bothered and don’t want to be around him right now.”

“Oh…well, alright. I didn’t realize you guys had those sorts of relations.”

“Whole other side of life there, Pinky. But I’m fairly certain the bots wouldn’t approve of me spelling that out for you, so let’s just say we aren’t that different from humans in that respect.” She nodded and scurried off to join the party. I tracked down the damage and busied myself with running fresh lines and refabricating some of the circuit boards while the system defragmented. The party was quite loud, no doubt to Ratchet’s displeasure. And the whole time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right about Wheeljack.

After a few joors, the Wrecker himself came down with Miko. She was giving him a tour or something so I tuned them out. Except when he started asking very specific questions. Which Miko answered. They were about to leave when he spotted me and had her go on ahead.

“Hey, beautiful, why not come up and live a little?” He smirked at me. Great. I made sure Miko wasn’t around before slamming him against the wall.

“Who are you, con?” He chuckled innocently.

“Woah there, Indigo. Whaddya mean?”

“Don’t lie to me. I’ll put a hole in your helm faster than you can blink. If you’re one of Starscream’s goons, I won’t be pleased.”

“Oh, and you’ll rat me out, will you? Miss neutrality.” I narrowed my optics, slowly letting him go.

“No. But I’ll be sure to clap when Bulkhead figures it out. You can’t mimic Wheeljack, because there’s far more to him than any one of us know, and I know a fair bit of it. So just try and hold out until the bridge is done.” He got the memo and left with a glare, catching up with Miko.

When I heard a commotion on the main level, I ghosted back up, quietly watching from a dark corner. The imposter had the girl hostage with the bridge open, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. And they did, for the bots. What could only be the real Jackie came charging through the bridge and tackled the con, telling Ratchet to shut down the bridge before the stink came through. I grinned. That was my boy for sure.

The two faced off, though the fight was short lived. Wheeljack let Bulkhead do the honors of lobbing the con back through the portal, with an activated grenade. Once everything was over, I came out clapping and grinning. Jackie stopped his kidding and looked at me with that same old glint in his optics.

“Well well, if it isn’t the prettiest femme on Cybertron.” I grinned even more.

“If it isn’t the most flirtatious Wrecker on Cybertron.” He chuckled.

“C’mere, gorgeous. I missed ya.” He swept me up in a hug, surprising me with a deep kiss.

“Heh, wow. Guess you really did miss me. But let’s not scar the fleshies, eh?”

“Hehe, alright, alright. So, about this party…” For several solar cycles, we had fun. The humans loved him and Bulkhead was thrilled to have his best friend back. I had my own fun with him too, in one of the empty lower rooms we had set up so we wouldn’t disturb anyone. But, as usual, it all had to end, especially now that his ship was fixed. Everyone was saddened by the news, but Bulkhead knew as well as I did that the old bot never stuck around. That night we had a long talk as we cuddled on our berth.

“Sad to see me go? Or is somethin’ else eatin’ at my favorite femme?” I vented softly.

“I always hate it when you leave. It’s just more acute now cuz I don’t know when you’ll be back, if ever.” He gently wiped a tear from my optics.

“Aw, Blue. You could come with me this time. I’ve always got a place for you.”

“Jackie, we’ve talked about this. And you know I don’t like it when you call me that.”

“Hey, sometimes things change.”

“I love you, but I haven’t changed that much. At least not in my spark. We’re just too different, even though our sparks disagree. Going with you would be like choosing a side.”

“You’ve picked mechs before.”

“Mechs who could keep up with my indecision. You’re too good, Jackie.”

“And you’re just a bit too bad, aren’t ya? I really miss you when I’m out there, though.”

“Knowing that is the only reason I can let you go.” He smiled, kissing between my optics.

“You’ve never told me why you hate Blue.” I smiled sadly.

“It’s what Glass always called me, and at first I hated him for it too. But I warmed up to it eventually. Kinda had to, with how stubborn he was.”

“Aww. I’m sorry. I wish I had known.” I stroked his faceplate lovingly.

“It’s alright. I’m pretty good about it now, that’s just a bit more of a trigger point.” He held me tighter, my helm resting under his chin.

“Love ya, Indi.”

“Love ya too, you old flirt.” We recharged peacefully and at dawn everyone saw him off. He offered Bulkhead a spot on the ship, which he declined. His place was with the bots and Miko. It was all a bit emotional, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t wander too far. Earth needed all the help it could get, and he knew it, so it wasn’t really goodbye just yet.


	5. Chapter 4: Ancient Evils, Same Scrap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Nerdlings!!
> 
> THESE NOTES ARE IMPORTANT I SWEAR! So, I finally have chapter 4 done! Woot woot! However, there are some points I'd like to make about it. First, there is a language warning on this chapter! Raven has a really bad mouth, sorry not sorry, it's relevant in my plans. Also, I'm experimenting with a different writing approach that I'll likely carry through all future chapters. I switch POVs to get other characters involved and add depth. You'll see third person whenever Indigo isn't involved in a segment, and sometimes first person from other characters if I deem it relevant to include their perspectives. Second, I put some links in sections of the stories. These are to songs that I feel accurately represent Indi in the situation and I plan to retroactively put links in the previous chapters, and there will absolutely be more in later chapters, especially once we hit season 2. If you want more depth and understanding from this story, I highly recommend listening to the songs (which I'll also put in the end notes), though you don't have to the minute you see a link :) Finally, I'd like to apologize for the long wait and the general underwhelming nature of this story so far. I am not super thrilled with how it's been turning out, but honestly as great as TFP is to watch, season 1's timeline is horrid and extremely difficult to write through. I'm trying though, and season 2 is going to be a whole new ball game, was more character development and emotion for sure. Should be two more chapters, then we can be done with the first season. As always, thank you all so much for reading, and stay nerdy!
> 
> -Ghost

I stayed with the bots another week after Jackie left, developing a plan to eradicate the Muticons. I also became a bit of a storyteller, as the humans were fascinated by Cybertronian history. It was a weekend for them when I was putting the final touches on my Muticon-specific upgrades and Miko just wouldn’t leave me alone. Kept asking all sorts of questions.

“Ugh, Pinky, I’m trying to finish these upgrades. What do you want?”

“I wanna know how you’re gonna take on a whole army of monster cons by yourself! Why not take someone with you, like a partner? And why haven’t you told the cons about these things?” I vented heavily, rubbing my optics.

“The cons would try to recruit the beasts and it wouldn’t work, so no need to even go there. Also, I don’t have partners. And the Muticons would annihilate any normal Cybertronian in a single hit. As it is, my plan to destroy them would instantly kill even a god. So I’m going alone, both because I’m the only one who stands a chance and because I’ve handled bigger armies on my own.”

“Wait, really? Tell me, tell me!”

“I don’t have time kid.”

“Pleeeeaaaasseee??” She gave me a pitiful look that humans seemed to be very good at making.

“Alright, fine. The _really_ short version. At the time, I was working with the bots. One of their bases was under heavy siege so Glassfire and I led a team to infiltrate and push back enemy ranks. We managed to get a foothold and drive them back a bit, but I knew we couldn’t hold it forever. The base was a critical one too, so I made the rare choice to really give my all in order to help the bots keep their last hope of rallying. I offlined over 400 cons singled-servoedly. Needless to say, it was a major bot victory.”

“Woah, that’s intense! But, who’s Glassfire?” I smirked dryly.

“Dead. Nothing but another pawn lost in history now.”

“Oh….you just never name other bots in your stories. Thought maybe he was someone special.”

“At one point, he was. But all are equal in death, so I see little logic in dwelling on the fallen.” She shrugged as I closed my arm panels and Ratchet came in.

“You seem ready to go, though I can’t condone your new weapons.”

“I am, and too bad. May or may not come back here after it’s done. I’ve kept Scream waiting for quite some time.”

“Alright, just be careful. Even you aren’t completely invulnerable.”

“Oh I know. Tell the others bye for me, and Pinky, stay out of trouble.” I then entered the Rift, finding an unfortunate group of Muticons roaming in there. There were about twenty of them, and they had commandeered my ship. Great.

I engaged cloaked, manipulating the Rift matter to trap creatures while I shot them down. For all their fancy adaptations, they were remarkably easy to offline. Once the small hive was cleared out, I took all the harvesters and extracted their Tox-en reserves with my new cannons, filling the tanks on my back. I sunk their bodies deep into the ground, then proceeded on to the cave system to take on the main hive.

The entrance to the caves was undisturbed, so I assumed none of the bugs had found their way out…yet. I set a paralyzing field at the exit, that way anything trying to enter or exit could be dealt with later. Each tunnel system I explored turned up clear, and I put more fields in place with each cleared path. For several solar cycles, I worked my way deeper until I reached the final tunnel, where a servoful of displaced Muticons were roaming. They were quickly destroyed like the others. Once inside, I examined the chamber’s weaknesses, especially around the Queen.

The Queen. Theoretically, she would be a more difficult opponent if I couldn’t find a weakness. But I had a plan, one borrowed from Wheeljack’s tactics. Placing a field just back from the main chamber, I began setting charges around every exit and weak point. It was a tedious task, as I was ultra-cautious not to alert the Queen to my presence. Once I finished, I perched on a ledge directly above her and triggered the bombs.

Tons of rock fell on all the egg-pods, completely destroying them and the spawn they contained. The surviving creatures fell into frenzied chaos. A majority then perished in the explosive fallout, but my location remained unknown as I looked for weaknesses on the Queen. She was well armored, but her egg chamber was an easy target, but even better, her spark was exposed. I’d call that a failed adaptation.

Silently dropping into the fray, I set my cannon on the frantic beast, blowing that little speck of light right out of her frame. She went offline instantly, so I tested the new Tox-en cannons on her plating. Fortunately, my theory proved true as the metal dissolved under the substance. The hoard wouldn’t stand a chance now. The bugs themselves fell into even more chaos without their queen, so I started extermination, felling up to twenty at a time with Tox-En. Rivers of the stuff mixed with their energon and covered the cavern floor. Good thing I could fly. Joors and joors passed while I destroyed the pit bugs, until finally I faced the last one, and it surprised me by speaking.

“Wherever you are, invisi-bot, you have slain my kin. But I am not the last. We live on, you will see. This planet will not be safe from us for long.”

Wonderful. A sentient scourge. I shot its helm off, ending my massacre. For a while after, I sat on a pillar and watched the Tox-En consume the sparkless frames, pondering the unique finality of death. The cave was humming with the frequencies of lost sparks, Tox-en, and a hint of quiet relics, coming from the mini-harvesters. Eventually, I rifted back to the other side of the entrance, recollecting my field generators until I felt a familiar presence in one of the caves. I smirked.

“Unicron. It’s about time you showed up. And of course you waited until I was alone in a dark cave.” A deep, foreboding chuckle that would have made most bots’ energon run cold resonated through the room.

“I am everywhere, Artifice, and I never waste a chance to engage you, but this planet is a particular haunt of mine.”

“I see. What do you want this time?” A large mech appeared before me, larger than Megatron or Optimus, though nowhere near the god’s true size. He was nearly double my mere 20 feet, currently.

“The same thing I always want, of course. You are one of few foolish enough to trifle with me.”

“Well, I have to deny you then. My aft is already going to be in trouble with Starscream for being gone as long as I have. Not to mention the fact that there is no way my frame can take you right now, and it will never take you in that form.” He narrowed his optics, shrinking down to about Megatron’s height.

“Deny me, hm? You know I could just take what I want anyway.”

“And you would end up very wounded for it. I’m still packing a lot of Tox-En, and even you will get burned by it.” (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx0_9qSmEcs>) The god glared at me.

“…So be it, but I will find you again. You cannot tell me no forever.”

“I’m not stupid. I’ll be watching for you.” He disappeared, leaving me to collect the last of my tech and rift back to the bot base. Naturally, Ratchet wanted to look me over. “I wouldn’t touch me right now. Likely covered in residue. I’ll go decontaminate, then you can amuse yourself with scans.” They had been busy, and apparently some unpleasant humans calling themselves M.E.C.H. now knew of our existence. Team Prime also managed to destroy the original energon harvester. “How in Kaon did Screamy manage to steal that from you? And why did you destroy it?! It was one of the more valuable relics, you know…” I huffed, irked at their lack of caution.

“Sorry Indi, but there wasn’t much choice. It was me or the relic. And old Screamers had help, from Breakdown and Knockout.” Bulkhead shrugged.

“Hmm, I’ve heard of Breakdown, but not the other one. And neither were on the Nemesis when I left, so my return will be interesting.”

“Indigo, I’m ordering you to take a solar cycle to recover. Your scans check out, but the Tox-En still wore on your systems. You can return to the cons tomorrow.” Ratchet had that ‘I won’t take no for an answer’ look on his faceplate, so I just nodded.

“Alright, alright, I’ll behave for once.” I then went to go take a deep recharge, relieved that the Muticons were taken care of.

\------------------------------------------------------------

<3rd person POV: While Indigo finished the Muticons and recovered and the Autobot base, Knockout was busying himself racing among the humans, and tonight was going to be especially interesting.>

\------------------------------------------------------------

Knockout had heard about the so-called ‘circuit’ the human teenagers raced on. Sounded like some easy fun, without as much petty stupidity like the fleshie that scratched his paint last time. There was a race coming up the next night and he planned to be there, regardless of Starscream’s opinions. Flyers would never be able to understand the thrill of a good road race. Time to get polished up for the occasion…

\------------------

Finally, school was out. Today had felt like an eternity, especially with a circuit race tonight. Raven Drake ran out to her cherry, gloss black ’42 Harley Davidson WLA, tugging down her short black bodycon dress over her black tights. Unfortunately, she wasn’t making a quiet exit today as Vince yelled out to her. He was talking with that guy Jack Darby and the cheer captain, Sierra. Darby was still cruising that blue bike she had seen turn into a giant robot, along with the yellow Camaro that drove the kid called Raf around.

“Drake! Tell Darby to show up for the circuit race or he’s a loser!”

“Leave me the hell out of it, Vince. I don’t control him any more than you do.” She strutted over to them with crossed arms, high-heeled, black leather boots clicking on the concrete.

“C’mon, flag girl, everyone knows how manipulative you are.” She glared poisonously.

“First, I’m not a fucking flag girl. Second, manipulative my ass. None of you fuckers ever listen to me.” This time Vince glared.

“Well they say you’re flagging tonight, and that makes you a flag girl.” Rave rolled her eyes.

“You should consider yourself damn lucky I’m not racing tonight. Darby, if you ever want this asshole to leave you alone, you might wanna show, but I could give a shit less what you do.” With that, she hopped on her bike and rode off, heading to her garage house that overlooked the old highway on the edge of town. The seventeen-year-old liked having her own place, and as long as she stayed in school, her parents didn’t care what she did. They had more than enough money to fund her, tough she usually paid for everything herself with the money from her repair shop gig. She could fix anything with wheels, and in a town like Jasper, that was a profitable skill.

Currently her garage housed her bike, a favorite, her gloss black ’66 Mustang she called Ghost, a candy red C1 Corvette named Fenix, and her latest project, a ’71 Cuda still in primer The lime green paint she ordered for it’s black-green two-tone was taking its time getting to her. On any other day, she would have been racing the bike in the circuit, but she needed some carb work and Rave just hadn’t had time. Sticking a win up everyone’s asses just wasn’t worth blowing a cylinder or head gasket, or cracking the carb itself.

Later that night, Raven headed to the canals in her standard black-on-black get-up: black leather jacket, mini dress, and her favorite heeled boots. Yeah, lots of people called her a slut or made catcalls, and the rumors were even more poisonous, but she loved the edgy look and it made her wins all the more satisfying.

She pulled around to the start line and tracked down the flag, leaning on her front tire while the racers arrived. Vince was there in his horridly modified dragster and not long after, Darby showed up, this time in Raf’s Camaro. And there was a newcomer: a shiny red Aston Martin Rave had never seen before. Interesting line-up.

“Alright Drake, start this thing already!”

“Fuck off, Vince! Racers, on your mark…3, 2, race!” She gave them the start and went to follow, but someone whistled at her, leaning on her bike.

“Hey, hey, sexy. Whatcha doin’ after this?”

“Leaving, Blake. Without you.”

“Damn, bitchy much?”

“Get out of my way or you’ll be road kill.”

“Now you just hold on a sec…” She railed him with an uppercut, followed by a vicious kick to the gut, knocking him out and throwing him several feet away. Throwing her helmet on, she sped off, catching up to the racers just in time to see Darby’s Camaro fly out of the canal, pursued by the red newbie. Perhaps it was another robot. Or else Darby seriously pissed someone off.

She followed them easily, blending into the night. At one point, Jack disappeared under a bridge while the red car lost sight of him. Until Vince showed up and blew their cover. Rave watched from a distance as a giant red robot snatched Vince and transformed into the Aston Martin, driving off. She pulled up by Darby.

“Friend of yours? Or is the jerk as good as dead now?” Jack looked terrified.

“R-Raven! How long have you…”

“Followed you. And now I’m following them. See ya.” She floored it while Jack tried to protest. The red car was fast, but not fast enough. She found the storage yard he had pulled into, likely hiding from the other robots. A flash of moonlight caught her eye, coming from just behind a row of units.

“Heh, you know, glossy ruby really isn’t the ideal color for keeping hidden. I just wanna know why you chose to kidnap Vince of all people. He’s a total moron, probably stinking up your interior, which, based on how pristine your paint is, is likely fine leather.” No reaction. She huffed, rolling further into the car’s line of sight and pulling off her full-face helmet, Black wavy hair falling loosely down her back.

“C’mon, radials, I know what you are, and your friends probably aren’t far behind me. So if you plan to keep that sweet paint job nice, you might want to drop Jerkwad McFucko in a trash can and jet. Hate to see a good finish ruined.” Still nothing. “Ugh, fine then. I’m outta here. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya…” Just as she was about to turn around, the car revved a bit, pulling slightly forward. She smirked.

“Oh, so you _were_ listening. Cool, cuz you seem to be a rather impressive machine, not to mention a killer car. Tell ya what, if…oh mother fucker! That asshole scratched my fucking bike! Are you kidding me?!” She leaned down, inspecting the small, three or so inch scratch on the fuel tank. “Oh, there’s gonna be a new hole in the ground tonight. This will take hours to fix, damn it! No one scratched my shit and gets away with it…”

Knockout was surprised by the human female, talking to him, complimenting his alt mode, and she was now as furious about scratched paint as he would have been. Finally, someone who appreciated a good paint job. He was starting to like this fleshie.

“Ugh, look, radials, I gotta go kill a bitch and fix this paint, but if you survive and are bored enough to interact with a human like me, you can find me at the Cliffside garage just outside of town.” This time she did speed off, not long before the Autobots arrived. The con medic was glad to have Breakdown around since the bots weren’t about to give up easily. He almost got away too, except prime showed up and ripped his door off! Did no one appreciate how difficult it was to maintain such a fine alt mode? Starscream would be furious with him…

\-------------------

Raven was crouched by her bike, spraying the final coat of black on the tank. Just a few hours of cure time and it would be done. At least it was a Friday. No school or homework meant she could finally fix the carb system and tune the cuda’s exhaust. She set up fans to keep the paint clear then flopped on the couch to nap for a bit, given that it was two in the morning.;

Sometime after five, a low engine hum woke her and she saw the Aston Martin coming up the hill. She smirked, getting up to check the paint. It dried perfectly, as usual. Just the purple candy coat and she’d be done. The paint was already mixed so she shot the tank while she waited for the red car. Unfortunately, there was a slight run.

“Shit, shit, shit! Aarg…c’mon…” She fanned it with some cardboard, getting it to flow out as the new car pulled up. “C’mon…dry nice for me…there you go…oh, hello Radials. Damn, you look like shit. And where the hell is your door?! Those bots must have done a number on you.” The car just sat there idling. Obviously no driver so if it was trying to pretend to be a normal car it wasn’t working. “Look, one-way conversations don’t last very long, so if you’re just gonna sit there, I’m gonna keep working.”

She set the fans on the candy, watching for a few minutes to make sure there were no more runs. It was setting nicely, so Rave rolled under the Cuda. All the tools were still lined up from last week’s work, so after finishing the muffler mount, she fired the car up. It roared to life, rumbling nicely. Rolling back under, she fiddled with it until the harmonics synchronized to a beautiful, low, almost thunder-like sound.

“Mmm, there he is. That’s sexy. Wouldn’t you agree, Radials?” Rave slid out and smirked at the car. No response, of course.

“…That certainly is a nice sound. In fact, I rather like it. You seem to know how to treat a fine vehicle, fleshy.” Raven was surprised. So they could talk, and this one had an unexpectedly smooth voice.

“Well whaddya know. You can talk. I was beginning to wonder if you were mute like the Camaro.”

“Certainly not! That scout is nothing compared to me!”

“Ooh, careful. With your current look, I’d say your arrogance is severely misplaced. And the fact that they even caught you doesn’t buffer the superiority idea.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know…ugh, never mind. I suppose you don’t know much about our little war.”

“Hm, no, can’t say I do. All I know is that you guys are giant robots, likely alien, and likely sentient. And apparently some of you don’t like each other, but honestly, when does any species entirely like each other?”

“I suppose you have a point. Well, to catch you up, we are Cybertronians, so yes, aliens. There are two factions, Decepticons and Autobots, and we’ve been at war for eons, to the point of killing our planet and forcing an exodus. Team Prime, which the yellow one called Bumblebee and the two-wheeler Arcee belong to,  makes up the Autobot presence on this planet. There are only five of them, to my knowledge. I am a Decepticon, and their medic. I’m currently trying to revive our leader, Megatron, with the help of my partner, Breakdown. The scratched paint is courtesy of our current commander, Starscream. He…was not pleased with my activities last night.”

“Your boss screwed you up like this? Damn. Didn’t like that you snatched a human?”

“Didn’t approve of my leaving without permission. Otherwise he likely would have admired my efforts to get at the Autobots.”

“Even though Vince isn’t associated with them.”

“Well, to be fair, I thought he was Bumblebee’s human, but they still pursued. The bots will do anything to protect you humans and keep themselves hidden.” Rave nodded.

“Ah, so they’re the a-typical good guys, which probably means you Decepticons  are the so-called ‘bad guys’ who will do anything to achieve their goal.”

“Well, yes, actually. You humans mean nothing to us. But you’re different from other fleshies I’ve encountered. And you seem rather unfazed by the fact that giant alien robots invaded your planet and brought an ancient war with them.” She shrugged.

“Eh, I haven’t met a lot of quality humans and we’re technically killing this planet anyway, so what do I care if you all kill it faster? I’ll probably be sitting here alone, working on cars when the world ends, whether it does so tomorrow or in sixty years.”

“You just work on vehicles?”

“Yeah. It’s what I’m good at, and the only thing I really like to do. Gonna pick up an old ’67 Camaro in a month actually, a little birthday present to myself.”

“Don’t you humans usually have families? Or whatever they’re called?”

“Yeah. I have parents who live in the next town. I’ve just always preferred being independent. Plus, all this shit takes up more space than we had at the house. But enough about my sorry life. You need a fix? I’m not half bad with paint and repairs, for a human.”

“Well, I really just came back to get my door so I could repair myself…but I am here, and it might be interesting to see you try.”

“Try, hm? Challenge accepted. I just need to find a material that is close enough to your natural metallurgy. Some kind of doped titanium would probably do the trick. Where’s your door?”

“In the trunk.” He opened the hatch, revealing a very beat up door.

“Damn, that’s pretty fucked. I can fix it though.” She hauled it over to the table to inspect it and took part of a sheared bolt to the microscope, looking at its structure. “You bullet proof?”

“From human bullets, yes. Unless something really big hits us.” Rave nodded, going to a wall full of different metals. Selecting a few alloys, she compared the specimens. After deciding on one, she hung the door and a segment of the new metal on the opposite wall, pulling a high caliber pistol out of a drawer. Three shots drilled each object, then she examined the effects.

“Well, if that’s not a near perfect substitute, I don’t know what is. Lucky for you, I’ve got plenty of this alloy. Expensive shit, and a bitch to work with, but it’s one of the most versatile and resilient metals I’ve ever worked with. Now I gotta cut parts and find the respective bolts. Ironically, I ordered it for a Lamborghini job I did, so everything is metric.”

Knockout watched her with interest as she measured where plates would be, clearances, bolt holes, and brackets. Then she put it all into a program and cut everything on some sort of automatic table. Efficient, and likely very accurate. While the parts were being cut, she meticulously worked the  dents out of his door.

“Got a name, Radials?” He snapped out of it.

“Hm? Oh, yes. The name’s Knockout. What about you, fleshy?”

“Raven, though I have a myriad of other names, depending on who you ask. None are nice.”

“Oh? Are you  unpopular with your fellow humans?”

“In a way. It’s more a matter of I’m better at school, racing, and other things than they are and I do it all while dressing like an emo prostitute. Most of them are either jealous or put off and the rest underestimate me and think I’m and airheaded idiot. Like the bastard that scratched my bike. He was trying to hook up with me so I decked him and left him in the canal.”

“Wow. With that attitude, you would fit in perfectly on the Nemesis. That’s our ship.”

“Not sure if that’s a compliment, but thanks, I guess.”

“It is coming from me. From the Autobots, it would be an insult.

“Fair. Parts are done. Give me a bit to weld everything.” She worked away for a while, assembling all the new pieces. While she was preoccupied, Knockout transformed and crept further into the shop, taking in the arrangement of parts and machinery, all flawlessly organized in zones and on racks. Upstairs she had a bed and small cooking area, and another enclosed room that was likely the human equivalent of a wash rack. Bathrooms, was that it? “Okay…holy shit! Warn a girl before you switch forms and sneak up on her, would ya?! Geez. But damn, you’re a pretty fly robot.”

“Heh, why, thank you. And sorry, I suppose I should have said something. You need me back in vehicle mode, don’t you?”

“I will, yeah, but I need to move the Corvette first. That way you can pull in by the welders.” He stepped aside so she could move her red car. He liked that car. Very flashy, and it sounded great too. Put his own alt mode to shame a bit, really. Maybe she could fix that too, at a different time. “Alright, pull in here, driver’s side closest to me.” He shifted back, earning a mild look of admiration from her. “That transforming thing is pretty badass, I’ll give you that.” She got right to work once he was in position, welding the new hinges perfectly and hanging the door. Rave spent a long time adjusting things so his body lines would be perfect, which he appreciated. “M’kay, that’s done, but your paint is still shit. You gonna fix that or should I?” Knockout inspected the fix she did on the bike. It was flawless. Better than Breakdown could do, for sure. And it was only nine or so in the morning.

“Depends on how long that will take.”

“Lemme over you with a DA real quick, then I can tell you. A lot of it might buff out.” The medic agreed and quickly relaxed into her buffing. The girl didn’t miss anything, it was great. In fact, he nearly dozed off into a light recharge, but just as he was about to go out, she finished up. “Well, you look a hell of a lot better already. Looks like you just need a few patch sprays. Maybe an hour, plus set up and clean up. Though it will take me a bit longer to match your paint mixture.”

“Mm, go ahead then. I think I can afford to be here a bit longer. Starscream probably thinks I’m sulking and such.”

“You sound relaxed. Is buffing the equivalent of a killer spa day for you guys?”

“I don’t know what a spa day is but if it’s nice and relaxing, then yes. You’re really good with a buffer.”

“Heh, okay then. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m gonna get mixing. You have a unique color. Could you go sit in the sun for me?” He did and she started to match paint. It took three or four mixes but she finally found one she liked. “Alright, you can come back in. I think I’ve got something.” She carefully sprayed the gouge on his hood, letting it flow out and cure. “Back in the sun. Gotta see how that looks.” It matched perfectly in different levels of sunlight. After some comparisons under different color flashlights, she was satisfied. “Nailed it. I’ll write down the mix ratios and then we’ll fix the rest.” It did take about an hour, between taping, painting, and cure time, but it all came out perfect. Knockout was very impressed as he sat there, happily admiring his fresh finish.

“Not bad at all, Raven. Better than anything Breakdown could have done. Some might guess I’m brand new.”

“Well, with how this turned out, you might as well be. Though your engine doesn’t sound new.”

“I appreciate it, truly. You’re the first person, human or Cybertronian, who really seems to value a good finish. And perhaps I’ll come back and let you tune up the rest of me. That could be fun.”

“Duh. How the hell are you supposed to make a statement and rub a win in someone’s face without a killer aesthetic? Also, looking forward to it. I have a few ideas on how to improve your systems.”

“I couldn’t agree more! And as much as I’d like to stick around, I should get back before old Screamy starts looking for me. I can’t wait to see what you do next time I stop in.”

“Cool, cool. Good to officially meet you, Knockout. Guess I’ll see you around.” He flashed his lights and drove off, paint shining like new. Rave smirked. The giant robot approved of her, and that was probably a good thing.

\----------------------------------------------------------

<Indigo POV, later that day>

\----------------------------------------------------------

Ratchet finally quit fussing over me and I was now on my way back to the Nemesis. Starscream likely had _plenty_ to say to me since I had been gone far longer than intended, nearly a decacycle, in fact. Sure enough, as I landed and strutted to the command deck, he glared at me intensely.

“Artifice! Where in Kaon have you been?! I needed your help…”

“Calm down, Screamy. I was being thorough and hanging with an old friend. That was some scrap you pulled with Makeshift. Luck for you, I kept quiet, though I knew no bot could ever impersonate Wheeljack. Regarding your caves, there was absolutely nothing there, not even energon. I scoured the place floor to ceiling, in every branch, crevasse, and even in the walls. Only thing that happened was Unicron said hello.” Starscream was taken aback.

“So the readings were faulty…Unicron was actually there?”

“Well, an avatar, but yes. Wanted to have some fun, but I didn’t have time to play around.”

“Ah…well, uh…we have two new additions. Breakdown, and our new medic, Knockout. You have some medical experience, don’t you?”

“Field trained, mostly. But I’m decent in a lab.”

“Good, then I want you to co-medic. Make sure the good doctor doesn’t cause any trouble. If I find a use for your relic hunting abilities, that will take precedence, of course.”

“Alright, good change of pace, I guess. Where are your new cons?”

“They should be in the med bay, though Knockout tends to wander elsewhere.”

“I’ll go introduce myself, unless you need me for something.”

“Not at the moment.” I nodded, heading to the Medbay and ignoring the subtle pain in my processor that had set in. Probably overworked myself. In the bay, a large blue mech was monitoring Megatron.

“You must be one of the newbies. Breakdown, I assume?” He looked up, clearly surprised.

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. Who’r you?”

“Indigo Artifice.” His optics went wide.

“Ah, well, uh, is there something you needed?”

“Screamers assigned me to co-medic, since there’s not much else for me to do around here.”

“Oh. Knockout won’t be too pleased. He should be back soon.” I nodded, perching on a table.

“No change in the old con, I assume? There shouldn’t be.”

“Nah, just polished him up. Not much else we can do.”

“Indeed. Wounds like that don’t tend to heal on their own.” Just then, a shiny red mech came in smirking.

“Ah, the wonders a nice finish does for the mood. How do I look?” Breakdown smirked.

“Flawless, as usual doc. We’ve got a new lab partner.” He nodded towards me.

“Hmm? Oh, well, well. What do we have here? Aren’t you a fine looking femme.”

“A Velocitronian, how interesting. Would never have pegged Starscream as a fan. Perhaps he’s desperate. Name’s Indigo Artifice.”

“Waaaiitt… _the_ Indigo Artifice? The Relic Hunter? I thought you were a myth.” I smiled coldly.

“Oh, I’m very real. Painfully so, in fact.”

“The Commander assigned you here? I already have a partner…”

“Yes, as co-medic and a second set of optics. I get the feeling I’ve been an acting medic far longer than you.”

“I have always been better at dissection, it’s true. Fixing is a new role. How did you know we are Velocitronian?”

“Well, I didn’t know Breakdown was, but you’re too vain for a typical Cybertronian, plus the fact that you chose a ground based alt mode is a giveaway.”

“Hm, I suppose you’re right, but it is so much more fun to make an entrance.”

“Fair. I’ve made my share of entrances, when it’s feasible to do so…ahg…woah…” My processor stuttered, inducing an optical spin. Well then.

“Are you alright? That didn’t sound good.”

“I’m fine. Probably just overworked my circuits on this last stint. Just need a good recharge.”

“If you say so. Any particular reason you’re here on Earth?”

“I was built for the war, and now the war is here. So I am too. Though this planet is quite a treasure trove. And the humans are very amusing.”

“That they are. Well, do you have any brilliant input on Megatron?”

“He’s going to be stuck like that. There’s only one way he can come back and it doesn’t exist on this planet. Save for one bit in possession of a mech. We just need to be patient until a decision is made.” I stood up to leave.

“What are you talking about? Wounds this critical can be repaired?”

“Don’t worry about it, Doctor. Megatron is in fate’s servos now. Huh, you’re kinda short for a mech. That’s different.” He was only about a foot taller than me, meaning I could nearly meet his optics.

“Hey! Well, aren’t you unusually tall for a femme?”

“Not by much. See you two later.” Soundwave was still on the bridge, but everyone else had left. He was currently monitoring government channels and movement. As I approached, he brushed my field in greeting. “Hey. Anything interesting happen while I was gone? Other than what the bots already told me about?” He gave no reply, so clearly not. “That’s good, I guess. But I have a favor to ask. In those caves, I found a rather evil hive of creatures. Did you see the original readings Scree picked up?” He nodded.

_Tracking Unicron?_

“Worse, surprisingly. In my opinion at least. If you would watch for similar readings, I would appreciate it. There shouldn’t be any, but better safe than sorry.”

_What are they?_

“Muticons. Some sick evolutionary hybrid between Insecticon and Predacon. They’ll harvest your energon, convert it to Tox-En, and blast it back at you.” He processed that concept for a moment.

_…another plague. If they surfaced…_

“Yes. See why I need to eradicate them any other hives? If these are some by-product of Shockwave’s Predacon experiments, there likely wasn’t just one.”

_I will watch for them._

“Much appreciated. I’m gonna go rest, and probably entertain our Commander.” I spent the next few hours in recharge until that evening, when I tracked down Starscream, who was sulking in his quarters. The pain in my processor had died down, though the rest of me was a bit stiff. “Hey Screamers. Something bugging you?” He looked up as I entered.

“Hm…I need to convince a certain surveillance officer that it is best to offline Lord Megatron.”

“Ohhh, you finally made a decision. Bravo. Should we celebrate, then? Usher in the era of Lord Starscream?” He smirked.

“You always know just how to cheer a mech up, don’t you?”

“I have my moments. And to be fair, you aren’t hard to please. Your medic on the other hand is pathetically unobservant and uselessly vain. I might go crazy working with him.”

“Hm, yes he is a…unique mech. But he’s loyal enough and can do the job. Besides, I thought you were already crazy.” He smirked, optics glinting mischievously.

“Very funny, Starscream. I’ll have you know, you haven’t seen _any_ of my crazy, and likely never will.”

“Not even…to celebrate?” I chuckled.

“Hmm, we’ll see. Shall we?” We headed to berth, my companion already in an improved mood. We would see how Soundwave felt about Megatron tomorrow, or soon after. I knew he wouldn’t like it, but unless Scream changed his mind, there would be no return for the Gladiator.

Over the next few days, I got up to speed on the ships medical records and capabilities. Knockout kept disappearing for joors at a time, and though he claimed to have been racing, there was no evidence of it. In fact, he seemed to return in _better_ shape than he left. The ache in my circuits hadn’t gone away either, and had actually worsened, spreading all through my systems. Soundwave kept pestering me about it but I ignored it, anesthetizing my pain receptors occasionally and otherwise paying the issue no mind.

Finally, Starscream and Knockout decided to plead their case to my friend, but before that, I caught the doctor slipping out again. And this time I followed him. He led me to a garage overlooking the valley, and the human girl who lived there. They talked like good friends, him even discarding his alt mode and helping her lift cars. She touched up his paint, tuned his alt mode’s engine. It was all very unorthodox. When he finally returned to the Nemesis, I cornered him in a corridor, pinning him against a wall so he couldn’t slip away.

“Having fun with some human certainly isn’t racing, _Doctor_. What exactly is going on?” He was quite bewildered.

“Huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I glared.

“Don’t you lie to me. You think I haven’t noticed your disappearances, and suspicious lack of racing debris? You thought I wouldn’t follow you?” His optics became panicked.

“…Scrap…Artifice, you _cannot_ tell Starscream! He’ll kill her! She…well, she understands my perspective, and is a queen at racing! She even beat me once. She’s also taught me a  lot about this planet, not to mention the incredible repairs and modifications she’s done. Please, don’t ruin that for me.”

“Oh, and just what have you done to deserve my help? I’d say very little….ungh!” A spike of pain shot through me, throwing me off and I gripped my helm. Knockout looked at me, concerned.

“I’ll owe you, whatever you want. Though I must say, you seem to be in dire need of a thorough medical exam.” I growled at him.

“I’m fine!! And very well, I’ll keep your little pet a secret. But you owe me, and that may come up in some…unfortunate circumstances. It is never good to be in my debt.” I skulked off, helm still ringing painfully. I curled up at Soundie’s surveillance cameras to watch the show. Scree was being very careful about how he worded things. Just as they were about to offline the old mech, my silent friend pointed out a cortical psychic patch hooked to Megatron…and Bumblebee. Before anyone could react, Arcee shot the main stasis cable and disappeared through a ground bridge with the scout. Interesting.

I also noticed some peculiar readings: Muticon readings. Wonderful. I rifted myself to the coordinates, another cave system in Switzerland. This one at least didn’t have as many branches. I had geared up in the Rift, so I wasted no time clearing and setting freeze fields, proceeding with caution as I still didn’t have a reliable way to track these things. Someone followed me.

“My dear Artifice, we must stop meeting like this.” In the dim light from the fields, I could make out the chaos bringer, this time standing mot much taller than Megatron.

“You do seem to have a way with timing, my Lord. But perhaps this time we can help each other. I’m not on a strict schedule, which is good because to get what you want, you’ll have to start slow. But I need to ensure that none of those monsters are breeding down here first. Help me do that, and we’ll get to our fun faster.” The god came over, resting a servo on my helm as I stared him down. To be fair, he could crush my processor with just that massive servo, but he just chuckled darkly.

“A favor for a favor, I like your style. Very well, I’ll help you hunt your monsters. But after, you are mine. And I’ll be gentle. Wouldn’t want to break my favorite toy.”

“Of course not.” HE released me and I continued my search. My scanners indicated we were in the last few branched, which was good. At one point, my optics went dark, leaving me with only my scanners and the god trailing behind me. I carried on as if nothing happened, and they came back online after a few kliks, along with excruciating socket pain. It stopped me instantly, dropping me to the floor. I pulled a heavy anesthetic from a sub-compartment, as well as a cube of fresh energon. Once everything kicked in, I recovered, Unicron helping me up.

“Seems I may not be the one to break you, little Relic Hunter. You are far more likely to be your own demise.”

“You aren’t wrong, but this is nothing. Nothing I can’t deal with at least.”

“You may have the power of us gods, but you are still mortal, and no mortal who doses themselves with that much anesthetic ever lives long. I can also see what is wrong far better than any scanners. You will go offline. Not that I’m complaining. After all, you are the biggest threat to me.”

“Well, thank you for your godly wisdom and exalted opinions. I already know what’s wrong, and there’s no point in fixing it until these beasts are wiped from this planet entirely. There isn’t enough energon to facilitate repairs with each hunting. Now, can we leave my state of decay alone and finish the job?” He put his servos up innocently, shrugging.

“Of course, mighty Artifice. Lead on.” I rolled my still sore optics, continuing my search. Just like in the last system, the nest was in the deepest cavern. Another queen, more eggs, more guards. This cave was less suited to the explosives plan, but that was fine. Instead, I set up a ring of Tox-En tanks in the Rift corresponding to the cavern walls. The waterfall of fluid would destroy the pods and flood the room. Unicron disappeared, likely hiding somewhere and waiting for the slaughter to start. This queen was smaller, but better armored with no exposed spark. More fun I suppose.

I did put charges on the ceiling, a failsafe in the event that I got overwhelmed. Triggering one bomb to cave the exit, I opened the rifts, watching as the bugs panicked and the noxious fluid decimated their unhatched kin. The queen was the first to get blasted by my Tox-En cannons, though it took quite some time to melt through her plating.

My god companion reappeared, clawing and shooting large masses from a ledge he found, keeping clear of the poison lake. Once the queen was offline, it didn’t take long for us to destroy the remaining bugs. As with the last hive, I recovered all the harvesters I could and used them to recollect the Tox-En. We soon returned to the upper caverns and I disappeared into the Rift briefly to put my gear back and wash off the toxic residual on my plating. When I returned, the god was already pressurized and smirking, and I can’t say I was entirely unhappy about it. He kept his word, slowly working up to fragging me. We were at it for joors, until I was utterly exhausted and overflowing with his transfluid. When he was finally sated, he was polite enough to carry my exhausted frame to the surface, propping me up against the entrance wall.

“Until next time, pet.” Once he was gone, I dropped myself into the Rift, where I could recharge and not worry about time. I was passed out for who knows how long, but I finally came to, forcing myself to function. Fragging a god never failed to please, but the aftermath was a whole other story. Returning to the Nemesis, I slowly drug myself to the deserted Medbay and curled up on a table, passing out again.

“A-Artifice! You’re bleeding everywhere! And… it’s melting the floor!” I groaned as Knockout came in. “Primus you need help!” I growled as he came closer.

“Don’t you fragging touch me. And don’t touch the blood either. It will kill you.” I got up and drug myself to a corner of the room, curling back up in a ball. I could feel the medics concerned stare, but I never let anyone heal me if at all avoidable. And Ratchet was fairly unavoidable. At some point, I went back into recharge, fading in and out of consciousness. Likely joors later, I awoke to a heating cover over me, which I grumbled about, though it admittedly felt nice on my cold frame. I kept this up for who knows how long, until Soundwave showed up.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

<Knockout POV>

\----------------------------------------------------------------

For a legendary fighter, Artifice was stupidly stubborn. An analysis of her blood indicated impossibly high levels of Tox-En in her lines, making it a wonder that she was even alive at all. Even though she said to leave her alone, her core temp was dangerously low, so I found a heat cover for her. I wasn’t about to sit by and watch her die, despite her resistance. Not only is it my job, but Starscream would certainly have my head for allowing the one and only Relic Hunter to perish. What she really needed was a full energon transfusion, probably several to flush her system. But that required an assistant, and Breakdown was currently elsewhere. Maybe…well, she did seem to be friends with that creepy mech. I found Soundwave at his usual post, silently monitoring the planet

“Ahem, Soundwave? I have a bit of a dilemma. Regarding Artifice. I could use some assistance, since Breakdown is gone.” The mech looked up, then seemed to agree. We went back to the bay, where the femme hadn’t moved much, though her shivering had subsided. “She’s been like this all day. Came in covered in blood and transfluid, and her energon is full of Tox-En. No idea where it came from, but she needs at least two full transfusions. Do we even have the resources for that?” Soundwave just walked over to her, picking her up and setting her on an operation table. I guess that was also a yes. Or a ‘it doesn’t matter, we’re doing it’. Hard to tell. Just as we got the process started, she came to, Soundwave hovering over her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

<Indi POV>

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Soundwave was hovering, his field disturbed and erratic.

“Heh, coming to save me again, Soundie? Why am I not surprised.” The quiet mech looked over at Knockout, who was working on parameters. “He got you? Intriguing. Tell me, Doctor, just what made you think to bring Soundwave in on this?”

“Breakdown isn’t here, and you seem to be friendly with him. I don’t know. But he’s a better choice for this than Starscream, I’d say.”

“Hm, fair…ughh, that feels all kinds of fragged up.”

_You **are** fragged up._

“Heh, thanks buddy. Love the support. I’m going back into recharge now. Wake me when you’re done wasting energon on me.” They did, and there were gallons of polluted energon by the table. Fun. “Hm, can I take that? Should be able to purify it in the Rift.” Sounders nodded.

“Rift?”

“Don’t worry about it.” I dropped the tanks into a portal and hopped off the table. “Huh, didn’t realize just how messed up I felt. But for the record, don’t do that again. Complete waste of energon, plus I often augment my systems with other substances.” Soundwave’s field told me he was internally facepalming, as the humans called it. (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox--SNxmb7c>) He and I both knew the truth, but some things were better left unsaid.

“Hold on, you are absolutely not cleared for duty! There are plenty more checks to be done, and you need rest!”

“I’ve spent the past 48 plus joors in recharge. I’m very well rested. And you couldn’t keep me here anyway. Now if you’ll excuse me, I left some sensitive equipment in the caves.” I vanished, returning to the Swiss location to finish recovering my fields. Unicron and I had made a mess, and I was certainly still sore. Oh well, gods are gods. It only took a few joors to clean up my gear, but somehow, in that short time, Scream had managed to blow up the planet’s ice cap and was now engaging the bots.

“Scrap, Soundwave! I leave for a few short joors and all Kaon breaks loose. Did he…harness the sun’s power and turn it into a fragging drill?! Primus help us. And…” A violent yell cut through the ship.

“Decepticons!! Your rightful master has returned!” Ooh, Megatron was back. The cameras showed Bumblebee hooked to the gladiator before being blasted aside. Megatron must have taken control of him after their last patch. That would explain the sudden lack of neural activity in his frame. Clever as always. He soon found us on the bridge. “Soundwave, Artifice, where’s Starscream…” he growled murderously. Someone was about to have a terrible day. Soundie was silent and I just pointed up, to the landing deck.

“Welcome back, my Lord.” He jetted off, and from the screech of metal I could tell he got his claws on Scream. The rest of the solar cycle was filled with screaming and growling from the cell block as Megatron viciously punished his SIC. Eventually, after nearly a cycle, things quieted down and the gladiator summoned me to his quarters.

“Artifice, good. I’ve been waiting.” He immediately pinned me against the door with a hungry growl. I chuckled.

“Ah, I wondered if this is what you were after. Especially since your favorite toy isn’t an option right now. Though I half expected you to punish him that was as well.”

“He certainly isn’t an option, but you’ve always been a good alternative.”

“You actually going to kill him this time?” His optics narrowed.

“I…do not think so. He’s paid for his treachery.”

“Excuses, excuses, my lord.” I pulled him into a seductive kiss. “You just really like your treacherous little Seeker. Gives you the thrill of catching something you can never fully control, hehe.” He rumbled in response and picked up my small frame. I knew all too well how much he liked Starscream, but hearing him actively hint at it was hilarious. Especially with how frequently he tried to cover it with rage. Ah well, maybe someday I’d get those two to fess up to each other. Someday;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The music for this chapter!
> 
> When Indi turnes down Unicron, and also when she refuses help from anyone. Honestly, it's kinda her in a nutshell a lot of the time:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx0_9qSmEcs
> 
> When Indi gets back to work right after nearly going offline. Or anytime she stupidly works through injuries, physical or otherwise:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox--SNxmb7c


	6. Chapter 5: It's Darkest on the Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beloved Nerdlings,
> 
> I am not dead!! And not only do I have chapter 5 for you, but in a few days I'll upload the final part of the Post-Frisbee series :D A few things about this chapter, it's nice and long because I made you wait and finishes up at 'Partners'. Also, at the end I included a link to Naihaan on Deviant Art, who has art of Unicron and Primus that I am absolutely obsessed with. While TFP has a version of Unicron, he's not exactly nice to look at, so I decided that he's a god and can do what he wants and therefore chose Naihaan's form for when he's with Indigo. Also at the end of the chapter are links to Ilovestories123's Tumblr and Instagram, where the art she has done for me of Indigo and her OC Veil are posted. Please go check her out! As always, have fun reading, ant let me know what you all think as we near the end of Season 1!
> 
> -Ghost

Well, Megatron had decided not to offline Starscream, shocker. He had been redirecting some of his frustrations to me, but I think I talked him into keeping his favorite toy, especially since I was often too busy to play around with him. The SIC was currently in the Medbay with myself and Knockout, and he woke up rather angry. Despite much protest from the medic, Scree limped out, on a mission to do who knows what. I rolled my optics, continuing to tinker with my engines.

“I can’t believe him. He is in no condition to go flying off somewhere! It’s a wonder he’s lasted this long.” Knockout was very miffed at the ornery Seeker.

“He’s only around because Megatron likes playing with him.” The red mech spun around.

“What?! Megatron…and Starscream? They hate each other!”

“Superficial rage. Neither will ever own to how attractive they find one another.”

“My, my. How intriguing. I suppose they would be quite the pair if they weren’t constantly fighting.” I nodded, otherwise paying little attention. “Say, where did you learn to be such a good medic? I’ll admit you really are far more skilled than I am.”

“A gladiator named Hellion Vex taught me after I took a hit on the battlefield. I was barely a millennia old at that point, so you can imagine what a few eons of practice will do for you.”

“Vex…I’ve heard that designation before. He championed the war for quite some time, didn’t he? What happened to him?” I tried to hide the sudden wave of pain and sadness that washed over me.

“He lost a fight, as we all do eventually.” His optics widened.

“…You were close to him…sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault harmless questions have harmful answers.”

“Were you two…well…”

“He was like a sire. Half of who I am is because of him.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“I told you to stop that. And maybe stop asking questions. It’s darkest on the inside with me, so you may not like what you find if you keep digging.” I swung off my perch, finished with my jets. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have rounds to do.” I walked off the memories, eventually ending up helping Steve with a sub-control panel that had been acting up until Screamy called for and emergency ground bridge, showing up sans one arm. “Heh, missing something, Commander?” He glared at me poisonously.

“Rrrgh…not a word about this, to anyone!” He stormed off, as best he could, leaving me chuckling.

“He tries so hard to be an evil mastermind, but he’s just too cowardly for it. It’s a shame, really. Anyway, you good with this now, Steve?” The Vehicon nodded, continuing to work. I did a few more odd jobs and a patrol before nightfall as Knockout had left to visit his human, and I found out through the drones that Scree had not only tried to resurrect Skyquake, but also replaced his arm before Megatron noticed. Typical. Sometime later while I was lightly recharging, Soundwave came in, his field agitated and distressed. For a while, he just stood there watching me, eventually waking me up. (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it32D88FlTQ>)

“Soundie…what’s the matter?” My friend was visibly shaking. “Oh no…come here.” I got up, pulling him into a tight hug. He practically collapsed on me, sobbing silently. “What happened? It’s okay…” I brought him to the berth and laid him down, cuddling close as he tucked his helm under mine. He stayed like that for a while, continuing to cry until some optic fluid began leaking from under his mask. I kissed the top of his helm. “Hey, if you keep crying with your visor on, it will short circuit. Can I take it off?” He took a bit to respond.

……. _Yes_. I gently released the screen everyone knew to be his faceplate. I was one of very few who had seen what was underneath. Beautiful violet optics shined against the dark slate plating, fluid running from them freely. With all these eons of hiding behind that screen, he had little control of his expressions, which currently betrayed the spark-deep sadness he was experiencing.

“Please talk to me. I hate seeing you like this.” The mech buried his helm back into my chest plating. Now I was crying, all too familiar with this level of despair. And it was Soundwave. Even on the worst days he was unshakeable, and after all this time I only knew one thing that ever affected him this way. But I could never be certain with him, especially with my near millennia of hiding after the Exodus.

“………Megatron……” The softest of mutters escaped my friend, surprising me. He spoke so rarely, I had nearly forgotten that he could. I found his voice to be strong and comforting, albeit very electronic. Seems nothing had changed though, as Megatron was still the trouble. Either something big happened, or Soundwave had been caught off guard, likely the latter. He had been especially cheerful since the Lord’s return, and my guess was he let his old feelings surface a bit too much.

“Did he brush you off? Or perhaps ignore you?”

“No.”

“He finally fragged Starscream again?”

“….Yes….” I vented gently.

“I’m sorry, Soundie. I don’t know what to tell you. You already know everything.” He hugged me tighter.

“Yes. Just….stay, and don’t let me go.” I smiled softly.

“Okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here for you.” He switched back to telepathy, sobs quieting.

_You’ve left before._

“And that was one of my biggest mistakes. You know you’re all I have anymore, and I assume that goes both ways.”

 _Just don’t make me regret choosing you, as I do the current predicament. Though I love you like a trine mate, that wasn’t always the case. You never saw me that way, which I am thankful for now, but you’ve almost hurt me more than Megatron, on occasion._ Woah. I wasn’t prepared for that sort of confession. But…when was that? I was usually pretty good at noticing when mechs took a romantic interest in me, given how common that was. But I had never gotten that from the surveillance officer.

“I…I won’t make you regret it, I promise. I never even noticed that sort of feeling from you. But I do love you like a brother, as terrifying as it is. I’m trying to be more open with you, but it’s difficult. Don’t give up on me, okay?”

_I don’t plan to._

“Good. Now get some rest. I’ll be your mask.” He nodded, eventually falling into an uneasy recharge. I soon followed, making sure to keep him close.

A knock woke me the next morning, a bit later than I usually would recharge. Groaning, I shifted enough to put Wave’s mask back on, calling in the visitor. It was Knockout, and he was surprised to see the quiet mech in my berth. He also seemed a bit uneasy.

“Oh, sorry to interrupt…he actually recharges? Wow, anyway, erm, Breakdown has been, well, captured. By humans. I could use a servo in the bay, when you get the chance.”

“Ah, alright. I’ll be right there. This one will panic if he’s off duty much longer anyway.” The medic nodded, leaving me to wake my resting companion. He did indeed panic, until he recalled last night.

_…Who woke you?_

“Knockout. Apparently Breakdown managed to get himself captured by humans so the Doc is out a set of servos. You feeling better?” He nodded, still hugging me. “Good. I hate it when he hurts you. I’ll find an excuse to punch him, okay?” Soundwave’s field hummed in amusement, making me chuckle as well. As he was about to leave, he paused, looking over his shoulder.

 _What does Starscream have that I do not?_ My spark broke a little.

“Aww, Soundie…he’s a venomous traitor, and that’s not an asset. Megatron is a fool for pursuing him, but that just means he doesn’t deserve you.” I could feel his smile under that mask.

_You’re right. He doesn’t deserve my spark, but he does deserve my loyalty._

“Fair enough. I’ll see you later, once I clean up whatever mess the Doc has made.” We each went back to work, but when I got to the med bay, there wasn’t a frame to be seen, not even the red medic himself. “Knockout? Helloooo…” I started checking rooms, knocking on the door to his quarters. No answer, so I phased my helm through to look. No one home. The same happened with Breakdown’s room, though this time he was in there, lost in deep thought. Phasing all the way through, I quietly went over to him. “You alright, Doc?” He spooked a bit.

“A-Artifice! I didn’t hear you come in…uh, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about things.” I sat next to him, also staring at the opposite wall.

“About what happens if he doesn’t come back.” His wide-opticed gaze snapped to meet my expressionless one.

“How…”

“It’s war, Knockout. We’ve all been where you are. Life doesn’t make it easy to hold on to the things you care about. But sulking does no one any good, so what did you need help with?” He was dumbfounded, likely surprised I had enough of a spark to know what he was going through. “Oh don’t look at me like that. Just because I act like I don’t care doesn’t mean I’m _completely_ sparkless. Let’s go.” I got up to leave but he caught my arm.

“I…er, well, there actually isn’t anything to do….I just…uhm…” I vented softly.

“Needed a friend. Or at least someone to distract you…” I said softly. He let go of me and nodded as I turned around. “Why not go to your human friend? I’m a terrible choice for this sort of thing.”

“But you’re so good at it! Ah…I mean, well, relative to everyone else…” That earned a bitter smile.

“Hmm, yes, Scree and Megatron aren’t exactly the supportive types. But for whatever reason, I’ve been their psychologist as well, much to their surprise.”

“You’re just…easy to talk to. And your legacy speaks to your trustworthiness. I suppose that makes others inherently more comfortable around you.”

“Mm, I tend to get intimidation, not comfort.”

“Well, there’s that too…is there anything you _can’t_ do?”

“Yeah, but it’s irrelevant to combat. Actually makes my job easier.”

“Huh. The perfect imperfection. Anyway, you mentioned Raven…maybe we should go see her. I haven’t been in a while.”

“We?”

“Yeah, you should meet her, officially. I think you’d like her.”

“Just because I find humans entertaining doesn’t mean I like them.”

“C’mon, she’s great, I promise!”

“ _Why_ are you dragging _me_ into this?!”

“Because you’re the only one who knows about her! And won’t kill her…probably…I think.”

“Primus…do you drag Breakdown around on these escapades too?”

“Of course! We’re partners in crime!”

“Mmm, I’m gonna have to bit my glossa on that one.”

“What? What did I do?”

“A number of things at least partially contradicting that statement.”

“Such as?”

“You let him get captured. And the whole ship knows you two are much more than just doctor and assistant.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know…wait, did you say the _whole_ ship?!”

“Yep.”

“I…w-we….”

“Relax, you’re more subtle than most. What’s more obvious is how much you two care about each other, and cons or not, most on this ship support that in the midst of all the fighting.”

“Really? Because Megatron seems rather intent on getting Breakdown offlined.”

“Careful. Everything has eyes and ears here. I did say most, and Megatron simply doesn’t care either direction. And Breakdown doesn’t exactly have the best track record. It’s just business.”

“But…well then how do you explain Starscream?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.”

“What do…oh, right…but Primus, how?! The sheer size difference….”

“Is nothing for them. It only becomes a concern when you’re closer to my frame build.”

“Huh, okay…wait, h-…never mind. I don’t want to know. Let’s just go. I could use some of Rave’s snark.” I smirked, shaking my helm as I followed him through a ground bridge. He was lucky the garage was on the edge of town, since a sports car and a Cybertronian battle jet showing up anywhere was a bit of a sight. The human clearly agreed.

“Radials, why the hell is there a…well an alien jet in my driveway?”

“Nice to see you too, fleshy. This is Indigo Artifice. She helps out in the Medbay and followed me here a while back. I convinced her to keep quiet.” I transformed, kneeling down to her level.

“You must be Raven. You have no idea how many times the good doctor has been needed, only for him to be down here playing racecar with you.”

“Shit way to introduce yourself, femme-con. But whatever. I’m just an insignificant speck by comparison. I don’t fix shit with wings though, so don’t show up here if you’re broken.”

“Oh, you won’t need to worry about her. She never lets _anyone_ repair her, even when she _direly_ needs it.” I rolled my optics at the mech.

“If I let you mess around with my systems, you’d do more harm than good.”

“You almost _offlined_! And Megatron would have had _my_ helm for it!”

“Would have made a good decoration.” He scoffed.

“Why do you insist on being so…so aggravating?! You’re lucky no one can take you down, else your glossa would have gotten you killed long ago.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. Really make me mad and then talk to me about being aggravating.”

“Alright lovebirds, knock it off. Your bickering is ruining my concentration.” Raven was working on something small when I whipped around to glare at her.

“Lovebirds?!” Knockout and I said in unison as he also spun to glare at her.

“Most certainly not!”

“Never in a thousand eons, human. He’s not worth my time.”

“Exactl..hey! Again with the insults!”

“What can I say, I’m a femme with standards.”

“Pssh, some standards. You’ve basically fragged everyone on the Nemesis who isn’t a drone and your reputation on Cybertron was no different. You even had Soundwave with you this morning!” My expression instantly went dark and he quickly realized his mistake as I stepped uncomfortably close to him.

“You can make all the jabs at me you like, Velocitronian, but don’t you _ever_ include Soundwave with the likes of Starscream and Megatron. He’s ten times the mech you’ll ever be, and he’s family. You don’t frag around with that kind of bond.” He struggled to find words.

“I-I…uh, wait, so you two weren’t interfacing?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then why in Kaon…”

“That is none of your business and it never will be.” I glanced at the human girl, who was observing with mild amusement. “Don’t stay with your pet for too long, or I might just slip up when Megatron asks where you are.” I then jetted off, scorching his paint just slightly. As I was leaving, I caught the human’s words.

“I like her. She doesn’t take shit from anyone.” That at least made me smirk. Sarcasm aside, I really didn’t mind this one either. She was intelligent, and also didn’t care what others thought of her. It was a good trait.

<3rd person POV>

Raven smirked as the jet left, roasting her friend’s paint. He was still a bit stunned, not yet panicking about the damage. If anything, he looked guilty.

“Aw, bummed that your girlfriend roasted you?” That snapped him out of it.

“Artifice is not my girlfriend! I happen to already be in a relationship, thank you very much. And besides, she would never bother with a mech like me. You humans talk about leagues and status, well she’s far out of my league. Pit, we aren’t even in the same caste, probably. Not that that system still stands.”

“Caste as in…like a social hierarchy of who’s better than who?”

“Yeah, that was the old way, before the war began. Megatron fought to eliminate it and have all Cybertronians treated equally. On that ideal I think bots and cons agree. We just have different ideas on how to go about establishing said equality. Can you, er, fix the scorch marks a bit? As much as I deserved it, I don’t need to return to the ship looking like this. Too many questions.”

“Yeah, come down here. What do you mean you’re in a relationship?”

“Well, my primary assistant, Breakdown, and I are berthmates. Not sparkmates or anything, but he’s very important to me…that’s actually why we came down, to distract me. He kind of got himself captured. And I’m worried about him.”

“So…coming to see me was her idea?”

“Well, she didn’t mean for me to drag her with, but yeah. What’s your opinion on her?”

“Well, I was originally thinking she was just another snarky bitch like me, but it seems she’s got more heart than that, thinking of ways to help you even though she pretended to be reluctant. I dunno, seems like someone you want on your side, but it might be hard to get her.”

“Oh, she’s really difficult to win over. I’m pretty sure Soundwave is the only one she’s truly loyal too. She won’t pick a faction, but she’ll pick individuals. But you don’t want to be on her bad side, that’s for sure. She could dethrone Megatron in a sparkbeat if she wanted.”

“Nice, she’s my kind of friend. Well, maybe next time you two can be civil long enough for me to actually talk to her.”

“Yeah…sorry about that. I messed up. How do you apologize to a murderous femme who doesn’t want to hear your scrap?”

“Ooh…good question. What does she like?”

“Nothing. Except her brother.”

“Helpful.”

“It’s true!”

“Well then, just apologize. Be blunt and such. If she won’t listen, leave a note where she won’t miss it, I dunno. You’re asking the wrong chick.”

“I guess. Just going to have to try it.” Raven finished his patch job. “Thanks. I’m gonna go for a drive. I’ll see you around.”

“Later, Radials. Don’t piss her off too much.”

<Indi POV>

Much later that night, as I was digging through ancient medical files, someone came in.

“It’s about ti- Breakdown? Huh, you escaped?”

“Uh… yeah, you could say that. Were you expecting someone else?”

“Knockout is out with his human. Or sulking. He may have moved on to sulking. But he’s been gone all day.”  
            “You didn’t radio him?”

“I was _with_ him until four or five joors ago. Why don’t you call him? He’ll be thrilled.” The sarcastic disdain in my voice was unmistakable.

“Uh oh, what did he do? And probably the better question, what did you do back?”

“Insulted my brother. So I scorched his paint and threatened to expose his pet.”

“…He was already having a rough day too, wasn’t he…”

“Yeah, but so what? That doesn’t give you the right to ruin everyone else’s day too.”

“I mean, I agree with you, but it’s also Knockout. You don’t know him like I do. He has a habit of doing that and it’s no excuse for his behavior, but I’ve tried stopping it for centuries with no luck.”

“Whatever. I don’t care what he does, but I won’t help him either. You’re his _only_ friend on this ship.” Breakdown vented softly.

“Yeah, I know. The sad part is, under all that shiny paint and ego is a really kind, trustworthy mech. If he had been allowed, I guarantee he would have come after me. He’d do the same for anyone that earns his respect and trust. I think that’s why he makes a good medic. Deep down, he just wants to fix things.” Breakdown’s optics…well, optic, as he was now missing his left one, was clearly saddened by the idea. I vented as well.

“Is that what you see? I wondered what that was. Seen it on occasion, and I don’t entirely believe it to be real, but he still runs his intake and drives me up a wall.”

“Heh, yeah, he does. Let’s see if he answers, or if I need to worry about him. Hey doc, you copy?” The channels were quiet for a moment, but eventually a reply came through.

_“Breakdown, is that you?! Oh thank Primus. Are you on the ship?”_

“Yeah. Need a few repairs though. Heard you’ve been MIA all day so figured I should let you know I’m back.”

 _“Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as someone listening can get me a…oh, perfect.”_ He showed up almost immediately, Soundie likely having heard the whole exchange. I went back to my file digging as the red mech tackled the ex-Wrecker and harassed him about his injuries. Until my activities caught his attention. “Any particular reason you’re scouring old medical data, Artifice?”

“Making sure some specific data isn’t hiding in residual memory or corrupted data stacks.” I was completely plugged into the system, thousands of files running through my processor.

“What data? I might be able to help.”

“Your help is the last thing I need.”

“Ouch.”

“You have no room to talk right now, so I suggest you go back to fixing your berthmate and leave me alone.” I could feel Breakdown nodding in agreement.

“…Sorry. I’ll just…go over here.” And he did, quietly repairing the blue mech then escorting him back to his chambers. A while later, he came back out, quietly watching my mass search.

“Can I help you?” I didn’t look up, nearly finished with my work.

“I’m sorry. For what I said. I shouldn’t have gone there, regardless of his relations with you. I have no right to judge anyone by their reputation. Or make assumptions. But I expect you aren’t the forgiving type, so I’ll leave it there.” He shuffled a moment before turning to leave.

“…Thanks.” He stopped turning back. I vented and paused my search, meeting his gaze. “I didn’t expect an apology. And you’re right, I don’t do the forgiveness thing. Think of it as a points system. Do something respectable, you earn points, pull scrap like you did, lose them. It’s much easier to lose them than gain, but that got you a few back.”

“Well, I guess that’s something at least. I’d much rather be in good standing with you.”

“Yes, you’d be stupid to think otherwise.”

“I don’t mean that in a strategic sense.” That confused me.

“What? Then…what do you mean?”

“Well, I know you don’t exactly have friends, but I’ve found that I like your company. So I’d prefer to be on the friendly side of things, whatever that translates to for you.”

“O-oh. Okay…well, that’s going to take a lot more work on your part. But, I suppose it isn’t an impossible notion.”

“Heh, that’s good. Despite what you say, sometimes I do wonder if you have a spark.”

“Mm, just as I wonder if you have a processor.”

“Hey, I’m not that idiotic!”

“Debatable.” He smirked.

“Well, we will have to debate later. It’s very late.”

“Yeah, I’m about done here. No data thankfully.”

“That’s good. Goodnight, then.”

“Night.” I wrapped up the search, heading to my own berth. Over the next few cycles, I checked in with the bots, finding out that the venomous spider femme, Airachnid, had showed up on Earth and had it out for Jack and Arcee. Wonderful. Soundwave also picked up another Muticon hive and Megatron decided to let Breakdown try his servo at redemption when a gravitational anomaly showed up. He was already gone when I got to the bridge.

“It’s the polarity gauntlet. I’d recognize those readings anywhere. Hate that thing.”

“Ah, excellent. Then as long as Breakdown follows through, it seems the balance of this war is about to tip in our favor. Starscream, come with me.” There was no mistaking the hungry glint in Megatron’s optics, making the SIC gulp a little. But he followed, likely torn between fear and excitement at what was implied. I chuckled and spent the next few joors sitting with Soundwave. He must have noticed how distracted I was, brushing my field questioningly after a while.

“Hmm? Oh…just thinking. Still can’t wrap my processor around Knockout honestly apologizing for being an insensitive aft. He never cares about the repercussions of his comments.”

_Perhaps you scare him?_

“I mean, he does have things he’d prefer me to keep quiet about, but I actually rarely get fear from him. Which is also puzzling, but he may just be dense.”

_The apology suggests otherwise. Non-threat?_

“I doubt that. He knows I’m dangerous and I’ve unnerved him before. That’s why it’s so unusual. And bothersome. Even worse was how profoundly real his guilt was. I could feel it. Actually took effort for me to hold myself together.”

_…Really?_

“Hey, it’s not _that_ crazy! I’m sensitive to fields. And I knew what he needed and wanted. But I also know that I won’t let myself help like that. Not for anyone, except maybe you.”

_So you wanted to forgive him and tell him it was okay, but you didn’t. Which invariably hurt him._

“…Yeah…but I did accept the apology. I actually don’t believe in forgiveness that much. The saying is more of a technicality that makes us feel better. But he made up for what he said, at least somewhat. I know I’m a harsh judge, and I suspect he realizes that to some extent as well.”

_You should talk to him._

“About what? I practically live in that Medbay. I’m always talking to him.”

_Business. Not talking._

“So what do you want me to talk about?”

_Anything. Just be friendly. Be his friend._

“Woah woah woah, there’s no way I’m letting that idiot think we are friends. We aren’t. You know I don’t have friends.”

_Maybe you should make an exception._

“Do you know something that I don’t?”

_No. You two would be quite the unstoppable duo if you weren’t always arguing. Almost like Lord Megatron and Commander Starscream._

“Did you just compare my relations with that medic. To Megatron and Starscream?!”

_Yes. I thought that was clear._

“If I could hit you, I would.”

_I am not wrong._

“I will _never_ concede to that.”

_That only reinforces my point._

“Frag off. Comparison aside, I don’t want to deal with that.”

_You are scared._

“Am not.”

_You cannot lie to me, Indigo. I thought you would have learned that by now._

“Why. Do you insist. On hitting. Every fragging nerve I have?!”

_You’ll never improve if someone doesn’t push you to do so._

“And what if I’m perfectly content with my state of being?”

_You aren’t._

“Fragger.”

_Love you too._

“Just to prove you wrong, I’ll do it. Make a fragging friend of the medic. But you’re getting him in even deeper scrap.”

_I disagree. But I will not argue with you anymore._

“Whatever. We’ll see what happens.” I felt him chuckle silently as he returned to his work. When the other two finally finished, Megatron returned to the deck in a noticeably more contented state as he waited for Breakdown to return. And return he did…with Airachnid magnetized to him.

After that, the Nemesis turned into a bit of a battle ground, the spider trying everything possible to undermine Starscream, who in turn did all he could to please his master and one-up the treacherous femme. I made a point to stay out of it, distracting myself with more file scanning and a fourth Muticon hunt. Those things were becoming increasingly difficult to kill. Oh, and Unicron. He was bored again and nabbed me on patrol, though it was a much shorter session this time and I was able to resume my normal functionality after only a joor.

The really interesting day was when Megatron decided to haul Screamers to one of the abandoned energon mines with a look on his faceplate that suggested trouble for the SIC. It would be interesting to see who came back. After a while, we hadn’t heard from either of them.

“Hmm, they broke something, didn’t they?” Soundwave nodded, venting internally. “Alright, I’ll go look into it.” When I arrived, the whole mine had caved in. Great. “Sounders, you got a signal from either?” The lack of reply said no. “Perfect, because the two idiots managed to cause a cave in. I’ll wait a bit and see if I can get a read on either of them. I can hear dark energon though, deep underground.”

_Phase through?_

“That’s the pla- hang on, something is digging out.” It was Starscream, and he was quite thrilled that Megatron was buried alive. After some audible scheming, however, he decided to go back in so he could take credit for the rescue. Typical. “Well, Scree is alive, and he’s going back in for Megatron. I’m following.”

I ghosted through layers of rubble, briefly coming across Arcee, and later Jack, who had commandeered one of the leftover drills to find the others. But he accidentally found Megatron instead and in typical noble fashion, didn’t kill him. Starscream ended up finding Bulkhead and Miko, just before Jack did, but Arcee caught up and cornered him, forcing him to support the collapsing roof while they escaped. Eventually, Megatron showed up, watching the Seeker slowly give out as he begged for help. I quietly appeared next to our leader, who gave no reaction as I stood where Scree couldn’t see me and whispered to the gladiator.

“It’d be a fitting end for him if you let him die here. You did come here to finish him off. But weigh your options carefully, Megatron. Kill him and you’ll be taking on an even more treacherous and slippery SIC, but one who doesn’t fail as frequently. But you’d also be losing the only mech who has managed to sway your spark, and he is easily cowed into submission. The choice is yours.” He did contemplate my words, taking his sweet time before finally freeing the sly Seeker and dragging him back to the Nemesis. Naturally, the SIC came to me later to complain and sulk.

“So, you aren’t dead yet. But how long do you plan to keep betting your life on half-formed whims and spontaneous power grabs?”

“Rrr…my plans are perfectly sound! Everyone just keeps getting in the way at all the wrong times!”

“You still haven’t tried being soft with him”

“How can I?! He’s been nothing but villainous towards me since he came back. And even when we frag it’s not pleasurable!”

“Well he’s never had good technique, we both know this.”

“That’s not the problem. Every move is a reminder that I’m expendable to him. At least that’s how it feels.”

“I doubt it’s meant as a reminder to you. Yes, it comes off that way, but he’s actually trying to tell himself that you are expendable. I doubt it’s any more enjoyable for him. But he knows deep in his spark that he doesn’t see you that way, and he’s trying desperately to change that. You could almost say he’s afraid of you.”

“As if.”

“I have a point.”

“How…ugh, I can see your point, but it doesn’t seem logical!”

“Unfortunately, the whims of the spark rarely are.”

“I don’t believe it. It can’t be that simple…”

“I’m not going to be much help, you know. I’ve told you what I know and what you should do, but I can’t force you to act. I have my own agendas and listening to you whine isn’t on them.” (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlEQnZdlaeE>)

“Yes, I noticed you haven’t exactly been in a helpful mood, but what do you mean ‘agendas’? You spend all day fiddling with old data and meandering about the ship!”

“Maybe that data is important to me. I’ve been keeping a lot of things from disrupting Megatron’s plans when none of you are watching, as well as keeping a certain chaos god distracted.”

“Wha…and you don’t report any of this why?”

“I answer to no one, even if I’m filling a role. Therefore the irrelevant goes unmentioned.”

“I hardly think anything you deal with is irrelevant.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Now, are you going to fix your problems or are you going to keep letting him best you?”

“Well, I…”

“ _Artifice. Six badly damaged drones. Need assistance.”_

“Copy that. Be right there. Have fun, Screamy.” I rifted to the Medbay, wasting no time. Knockout was scrambling, trying to stabilize more drones than the bay was built for. Some were even on the floor, since there weren’t enough tables to hold them all. “Wow. Okay, quick rundown.”

“This one has a mangled arm and bashed faceplate, that one has no functionality in any limbs, 649 is bleeding out from a cannon blast, 93 is blind and missing a pede, 227 got his wings shredded, and I think this last one is beyond repair. He would need a whole new frame.”

“I can fix that. Let’s put him elsewhere for now.” I threw the dying drone into the Rift. “Paralyzed can wait, you fix the bleeder and wings, I’ll fix the two with missing limbs.”

“Okay…where did you just put that one?”

“Rift. Now get working.” I quickly surveyed the damage and made new limbs for the two from Rift matter. Once I had cleaned up the severed areas, it didn’t take long to reattach things. I also made quick work of the paralyzed drone, who just had a damaged transmitter stack. Thank Primus for my magnetic levitator upgrades. Made manipulating mech frames much easier. “I’ll be right back, as far as you’re concerned.”

The drone in the Rift was decimated. I immediately set to work crafting a new frame from the raw matter and extracting all the core components I could salvage. The processor changeover would be interesting, except for the fact that there wasn’t much of a processor left. That meant I would have to do a total consciousness spark transfer. I set up all the control panels and platforms, hooking the two frames together with a psychic patch, at which point I needed extra servos to time the transfer correctly. Logic told me to not expose the Rift, especially for a drone, but my spark wasn’t about to let this one die. With a vent, I poked my helm back into the Medbay.

“Knock, I…uh…need extra servos.”

“Huh? Oh, ok…wait, where?”

“In here. I can’t time everything on my own.”

“I thought you never let anyone in your rift.” I grimaced.

“I don’t…but I’m not about to let this drone die. So come on, you won’t get hurt.” He cautiously came through the portal, shocked by what he saw.

“This is it? I guess I expect…woah, what are those?! That is terrifying…” He was looking at my pile of Muticon helms.

“Don’t bother with those. Over here. I need you to hit these buttons at the exact same time I fire up the Falsespark and initiate the transfer.”

“What exactly are we doing? And how do you happen to have a complete Vehicon frame lying around??”

“Stop asking questions. I won’t answer most of them. We are transferring his spark and consciousness to the new frame. Too much damage to the old one.”

“You…are very on edge about this…are you sure you should be, er, attempting this?”

“Yes. Now don’t frag this up. Last time I tried this, I lost a very important soldier.” He must have seen my underlying panic, because he pulled me into an unexpected hug. The medic always seemed to see the things I tried so desperately to hide. After letting me go, he surveyed the setup, keeping a servo on my shoulder.

“I won’t mess it up. We can do this. He’s counting on us.” I nodded, gritting my denta.

“Alright, on the count of three….one, two, three, now!” The mechanisms roared to life, beginning the transfer. Thankfully, the Falsespark held, keeping the new frame online and supporting the old one so that I could quickly transplant the drone’s spark chamber. In the real world, the spark would have snuffed out instantly, but thanks to the Rift’s strange time and way of preventing decay, the spark held steady. The real test came after the excruciating few kliks the processor transfer took. “Well, here goes nothing.” I killed the power to the temporary spark, waiting while time seemed to move in slow motion, not that it was moving at all. But he stayed online and soon all systems checked out. I vented deeply. “It actually worked. Alright then, now, get out of my Rift.” Knockout chuckled a bit.

“Yes ma’am. Tossing him through as well? You know you just did the impossible right?”

“Yes, and yes. Since when do I _not_ do the impossible?”

“Fair enough. Just do me a favor and don’t stay in here too long, okay? I’d like to be able to continue my life eventually.” I nodded, giving him weak smirk as I opened the portal and set the Vehicon on a bay table. I spent some time burying the old frame and turning all the equipment back into raw matter. Then I spent a few cycles just sitting in my jet, watching the endless plane shift and shudder while I played with the three relics I had inadvertently created. The Orb kept my attention for joors on end as I listened to its alien whispers. It spoke a language unlike any of the hundreds I had learned, but I didn’t really want to understand, given it’s generally malicious energy.

The other two were twins, sharing a mind without being explicitly sentient. They each looked like a harmless rod of Cybertronium, but in the right servos they became two blades that could each rival the power of the Star Saber itself. Not to mention their shared power could be combined into a single blade with the ability to legitimately slay gods and shatter planets with a single hit. But none of my children-relics would ever leave the Rift. Some things are beyond the mortal world, so unless I needed to truly offline Unicron, these essentially didn’t exist. Eventually, I got over most of my inner turmoil and returned to the Nemesis.

“Is he stable?”

“Huh…woah, that was weird. Yes, he’s fine. Mad science succeeded. How long were you in there?”

“A few cycles…”

“Are you okay now?”

“Okay is a relative term, but I suppose you could say that. What about the other two?”

“They’re fine, still recovering though. You work fast.”

“You have to, in this line of work.”

“Yes, but you’ve also enhanced your systems and can do more than most. On a different note, can we be friends again yet?” I gave a halfhearted scoff.

“You know we never really _were_ friends. That’s not how I work. But I suppose I can stop ignoring you, and maybe _try_ to be nice, at the very least for everyone else’s sake.”

“You know, you don’t always have to be so tough. Even I lose it on occasion. It’s not a bad thing to have a friend.”

“I do have one. And he does help when I need it.”

“Well, that’s good then. Can I ask questions now?”

“Ugh, fine. But I may not answer them, and as far as anyone else is concerned, you didn’t see anything, and even better you didn’t even go.”

“Fair enough, as long as you keep quiet about Raven.” I glared.

“…Deal.”

“Where’d you get that new frame?”

“Rift mechanics. All that gray stuff was pure, malleable matter. I formed it into a new frame and all that tech.”

“So you could make anything you want there?”

“Essentially, yes. But that’s dangerous.”

“Yes, it is. Okay then, what was that ship?”

“That’s mine, the Stormbringer. I specifically upgraded it to translate Rift spatial coordinates into any other coordinates and mark my portal point. It hasn’t been out in a while.”

“And time doesn’t function the same in there, stopping out here while you’re inside, Which is how you were able to transplant a live spark.”

“Yeah, though I usually just use it to get places and store things. I don’t honestly know how the timeline flows in there. Things don’t age or decay, but they can grow. But I’m not sure to what stage.”

“So a glorified closet teleporter, where you put weird things like those helms.”

“You especially didn’t see those, and they don’t exist, or next time I go hunting you’ll be my bait.”

“Oof, understood. No answers to be had there.”

“Nope. It’s actually better that way, trust me on that. Is that all you’re pressing queries?”

“I suppose. Did you need to do something?”

“I need to rebuild my walls, and I can’t do that here.” He looked at me quizzically, eventually nodding slowly as he realized what that meant. I simply turned and started to leave.

“You didn’t just lose a soldier, did you?” I stopped, surprised he was that perceptive.

“…I lost a friend.” Thankfully, he didn’t push the issue and I was able to easily track down Soundwave, right where he always was. “Hey, I could use some extra walls, Wave. Got time for a patrol?” He looked up, field probing mine as he nodded. “Thanks. It’s not my wisest idea to patrol alone right now, but I need to get off this ship.”

_Where?_

“I have a spot in mind, not too far.” We flew out into the desert evening, heading towards a particular rock structure. It was quiet up there, perfect for dealing with internal conflict. And Soundwave provided the patient companionship I needed, sitting silently while I watched the scenery, lost in my own thoughts. Eventually, words came to me. “I tried another spark transplant,” I said softly. He waited a moment, seeing if there was more.

_Did it work?_

“Yeah…it did. But part of me didn’t want it to. Stayed in the Rift over two cycles thinking about it. I wanted it to fail, to reinforce that it was actually impossible. And had I done it in the Medbay it wouldn’t have worked. It was the timelessness of the Rift that made it possible, but it still made me remember him, and brought the guilt back too. If only I had known better, or had my Rift…he’d still be here…” Soundwave gently took my servo in his.

_It was not your fault. You did everything you could think of. Yes, your Rift may have helped, but it may not have. Sometimes the damage is still too great._

“I know. My logic knows you’re right. But my spark still hurts. With so few loves in my life, I blame myself a bit for all of them. You’re the only one who’s still here.”

_And Wheeljack._

“You know I don’t count him. We were doomed from the start, and haven’t ever been official. Not the same as spending millennia or more with someone.”

_Understandable. Why not patrol alone, besides support?_

“Unicron. He’s restless and up to something, but almost never comes after me unless I’m alone.”

_He doesn’t deserve you._

“It’s not exactly a matter of choice. The best I could do is delay the issue, and that only makes it worse.”

_End him, then?_

“Not unless absolutely necessary. Upsetting the natural balance like that would have incomprehensible consequences.”

_True. And what about Knockout?_

“What about him?”

_You two work well together. He’s proving himself to be quite intuitive._

“Are you suggesting he and I could work as…more than lab partners?”

_Perhaps, if you gave him a chance. You are already being friendly._

“No way. I refuse to let myself fall for _another_ idiotic mech.”

_You’ve liked far more stupid ones._

“Whatever, it won’t happen. Besides, he’s taken. Breakdown…wait, do you here that? Over coms?” We carefully listened over an weak, unused channel.

_Decepticon signal. Northeast._

“Let’s check it out.” We tracked the signal to a small crash site where the useless remains of a Con combat fighter were scattered. The distress signal was weakly emanating from the cockpit. “Recent crash…but where’s your pilot…”

“That’s _pilots_! Servos up, intruders!”

“Sky, don’t…ugh…” Wave and I were instantly ready to fight when a black and purple Seeker charged at us, followed by a mainly blue one. I immediately recognized the mechs and mag-leved them into the air.

“Skywarp, Thundercracker! It’s been a while.” The surprised mechs paused, realization hitting them.

“Indigo? And Soundwave?! Primus, are we glad to see you! We’ve been sitting out here for cycles trying to get a signal,” Skywarp quickly explained as I set them down, getting tackled by him now instead of attacked.

“Calm down, Warper. Yeah, everyone is heavily cloaked on this planet, else this fight would have ended long ago.”

“Fight? So the bots are here too? Also, cool levitation trick.” No matter how much anyone tried, Sky was talkative as always. And vaguely flirtatious.

“Team Prime against Megatron, as usual. New planet, same fight. Obviously you two crashed here, so I assume you’ll want to return with us to the Nemesis?”

“Absolutely! Cons for life! I can’t wait to get my servos dirty.” Thunder just shook his helm at his brother.

“Is…Starscream there?”

“He was when I left, so unless…wait, what?” Soundwave was talking in my helm.

_He acknowledged his idiocy to me, then went with Airachnid to the crash site of the Harbinger. He didn’t come back._

“Scrap. Well, he’s on this planet, somewhere. Let’s get back to the ship and find out what the spider did with him.” We all headed back through a ground bridge Soundie called up. Megatron was there on the bridge, and he was fuming. “My Lord, we have some much needed good news. Look who we found at another crash site.” I presented the two Seekers.

“You two? Well, isn’t this an interesting surprise. Especially now that Starscream is in the captivity of the Autobots.”

“What?! Scream let them…ow! Hey!” Thunder elbowed Sky in the tanks, shutting him up.

“Hm, yes, Airachnid left him to be captured while she went after the Immobilizer, which she also failed to return with.”

“Shouldn’t have sent prey to do a predator’s job,” I scoffed, earning a bitter smirk from the con lord.

“Perhaps, but I need to test her somehow.”

“We all know her allegiance is unlikely at best. She’s here because it’s convenient.”

“True as that may be, for the time being, she stays. Take these two to their quarters and brief them on the ship’s workings.”

“Yes, sir. C’mon boys.” I led them to their quarters, listening to Sky’s jabbering until we crossed paths with Knockout. “Ah, Doctor. This is Skywarp and Thundercracker, Starscream’s trinemates. Boys, this is Knockout, our primary medic. I also often serve as a medic and his assistant. Did the one drone recover?”

“Perfectly. And good to meet you two. I was actually looking for you, Artifice, when you have a moment.”

“Medbay in ten?”

“Works for me.” I dropped the Seekers at their rooms with a quick explanation of the ship’s rules, returning to see what the red mech needed.

“What did you want?” He was leaning on one of his workbenches.

“To see how you were. Especially with how shaken up you were after the transplant.” Well, I wasn’t expecting that. Did he actually, legitimately care, as Breakdown suggested?

“Are you serious?” He looks at me quizzically.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I was honestly a bit baffled. (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWk4zqmQwVE>)

“Because…you’re you! Vain, eccentric, and somewhat of a lazy coward. You never seem to take any real interest in anyone besides yourself and breakdown. So the real question is why _would_ you be sincere?”

“Is that really what you think of me? Well, I’ll have you know I actually take an honest interest in the wellbeing of others, especially important ones such as yourself. I wouldn’t be a medic if I didn’t!”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“It’s no lie, because believe it or not, I _do_ in fact have a spark as well. And some bots are worth more interest. You, Indigo Artifice, are very interesting, enigmatic. And certainly no con.”

“Interest in me as an entity I can understand, but not an interest in my wellbeing.”

“Why is it so difficult for you to grasp that some of us think you’re too important to die?” My processor froze, a memory playing back from my earliest days in the war.

 

|| _“Why did you repair me?! You should have just left me there! We can’t afford setbacks, including wasting time on one femme! You…” The older mech interrupted me._

 _“Hush. You treat this war like a game, but what you do not understand is that **every** spark is worth the  time needed for repairs. And you, little spark, are the only one of your kind. A power like that is not to be treated lightly. Your spark is worth more that, meaning you’re too important to die.” _ ||

 

“…llooo…Artifice……hey, Indigo!”

“Huh?! What…” My gaze snapped to his. “Don’t ever use that phrase again.”

“I…what phrase?”

“The last one, before I spaced out.”

“Oh, the too impor…”

“Stop. Yes, that one.”

“Okay, easy there. I won’t use it, but why?”

“That’s only been said to me once, by a singular mech. By the closest this I had to a sire. And it changed my entire world, so whether you think it’s true or not, don’t.” He stared at me in shock.

“Primus, there’s a lot more to you than meets the eye. If I wasn’t convinced you’d shoot me, I’d probably hug you right now. But that seems like a poor decision.”

“No kidding, yet you did in the Rift.”

“Worth the risk. You seemed too stunned to do much harm. And it worked. But your little puzzle makes more sense now. That was Vex, wasn’t it? And I get the feeling memories of him are the actual last thing you want to recall. So, sorry for bringing it up. Darkest on the inside really wasn’t an overstatement. Are you going to be alright?” I gritted my denta, fighting back the optic fluid that threatened to spill over.

“I…y-yeah. Just, be more careful when you start saying things.” He gave me what the humans would call a sad puppy look, clearly apologetic.

“Alright, but in all fairness, you’re almost impossible to read, so maybe just a bit of help in that area? So I can quit triggering this side of you?” I vented.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll try to work on that. Or at least warn you when you start to dig too deep.”

“Thanks. Now go hug Soundwave and get some rest, okay? Doctor’s orders.” I actually smirked a bit.

“Heh…of course. Goodnight, Knockout.” He smirked too.

“Goodnight.”

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[How Unicron Appears to Indi](https://www.deviantart.com/naihaan/art/KTE-Unicron-414013291)

[Sketchnskribbles/ Ilovestories123 on Tumblr](https://sketchnskribbles.tumblr.com/)

[And her Instagram](http://hotsta.net/sketchnskribbles)


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